Turbulence: A Naruhina Fanfic
by adamalton
Summary: Nine months after the events of Nartuo: The Last, Naruto and and Hinata are chosen for a flight training assignment to keep up with the changing world. Training and events to follow put their budding relationship to the test when a violent storm maroons them on an island. Naruto and Hinata begin to contemplate how much they mean to each other and where their relationship is going.


Turbulence: A Naruhina Fanfiction

By Adam Alton

Disclaimer: This is solely a work of fan art for personal enjoyment. I in no way own nor have rights to the characters or material created by the creators or publishers of _Naruto _or _Boruto._

Author's note: needless to say, this is not cannon and continuity errors may exist. The story is meant to take place 9 months following Naruto: The Last. There is some adult language and situations contained within. I would recommend the story be read by someone age 13+.

Dedication: As with all of my works, I dedicate this to my wife, Helen, my Byakugan Princess.

Chapter One

Naruto Uzimaki bumped his head for what felt like the millionth time on the plane's engine cowling. Had he been his shorter, younger self, or even if he'd kept his spikey hair, it might not have been an issue. However, preflight meant opening every hatch, staring down every crevice, and checking every last control or system before starting the engine that was working an egg-shaped lump on top of his head. His now short-cropped hair offered virtually no protection against the hard metal beast. _Inspect engine compartment for foreign objects or nesting birds, check. _

Naruto sighed as he ticked off the checklist on the pilot's log sheet. About five months ago, Kakashi Sensei, now Lord Hokage, had approached him with this special assignment. Naruto was to travel to the southeastern coastal village of Taiho and learn to pilot aircraft, in this case, a seaplane. Naruto had been reluctant to go; the assignment would last at least six months. He had been far from home and away for long periods before, but the thought of being away from Hinata that long did not sit well with him. She had been his girlfriend for only a few months following the mission on the moon. After nearly losing her to Toneri, Naruto had serious reservations about ever being apart from her.

He shivered as a chill ran down his back. Even months later, Naruto cringed at what almost happened to Hinata and what Toneri did and planned on doing to her. _It's in the past; it won't help you get this damn checklist done! _He continued the tedious process of inspecting the wing, checking for the slightest signs of cracks or other instability. Hinata had told him take the assignment. She reasoned that they could never guarantee a mission wouldn't come up in the future, and it was important they learn how to deal with unexpected separations. Hinata also reminded Naruto that he wanted to be the Hokage someday, and that meant being able to adapt to a changing world. Like it or not, he would have to learn more of the world than what existed in the Village Hidden in the Leaves if he was to serve as his village's protector one day. Try as he might, he could find no flaw in her logic.

Another check box filled in as he finished inspecting the wing. Naruto had taken the assignment, but he had promised Hinata he'd take the train home on weekends as allowed. Flight school had been less than exciting the first month. Even when he could get home on weekends, which wasn't as frequent as he had hoped, most of it was spent with his nose in the book with Hinata watching him – occasionally quizzing him on the material. By the start of month two, actual flight training, Naruto was ready to throw in the towel. He was bored, tired, lonely, and he dreadfully missed Hinata.

Never in his life did Naruto think he'd actually long for the bad old days of being an academy student. Between bullying and being a less than stellar student, Naruto had little love for the classroom as a kid. Ironically, that had changed since he started teaching, actually becoming a star instructor among the students. _Life is full of surprises. _He smiled as he inspected the underside of the wing. The same day he had written his resignation letter, Hinata showed up at his door that morning, asking to walk with him to the flight school. She had applied for the school's navigation program and had been accepted. In the blink of an eye, his reason for continuing to the end of the program had returned. The letter was torn up and tossed into the trash. They had celebrated later that night with a trip to the local ramen shop – good but definitely not Ichiraku Ramen.

He had just finished checking the underside of the wing when a familiar clank of sandals on the metal dock caught his attention. She was incredibly beautiful, a marble statue of a goddess come to life. Hinata wore an elegant knee-length dress that billowed in the morning breeze, and her dark hair was secured in a long braid that flew like a kite in the rush of wind. One hand waved to him as the other kept the wayward garment from blowing upward.

Naruto's excitement at seeing her instantly renewed him from the mindless task at hand. He stood up, forgetting he was still under the wing, and he bashed his already sore head on the underside of the wing. "Ouch!" he yelped.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata rushed to his side as he more carefully climbed back out from under the wing. "Are you all right!" she said as she inspected the top of his head like a worried mother seeing her child injured at the playground for the first time.

The tang of soreness abated at the feel of her soft hands on his scalp. He couldn't be sure, but Naruto suspected she was running her fingers through his hair for pleasure as much as to be sure that he wasn't injured. Hinata stared with her stormy, hypnotic Byakugan eyes, both mysterious portals to a world of unknown beauty. Rosy pink painted her cheeks; it was a telltale sign he had caught her in the act. "I'm all right, hon," he smiled, feeling his own cheeks flush. Naruto gave her a gentle brush of his lips on her cheek. He was rewarded by the darkening shade of her blush. _I never get sick of doing that._

For a moment, she was again that shy girl that had watched him from the distance. While he loved to see her in shy mode, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little guilty at the thought of how long it had taken him to truly understand how she felt about him. For that matter, it had taken him even longer to even remotely understand his feelings toward her. He shook off the thought. "Hinata, what's with the dress," he asked. "I mean, I like it and all, but it isn't exactly flight-appropriate," Naruto said nervously, hoping he hadn't offended her. School regulation mandated any aircrew needed to wear long pants and closed toe shoes.

He needn't have worried. Hinata smiled back. "Oh this," she gestured toward her dress, "is just temporary," she said nervously. "I'll get changed into flight clothes, and help you finish pre-flight." She kissed him on the cheek and rushed back toward the buildings on shore.

Naruto watched her rush back up the dock. Small hairs on the back of his neck stood at tiptoe. He couldn't help but feel something was wrong. There was no single thing that set off the alarm bells in his head, nor could Naruto be sure if it was Hinata or something else that made him seriously worried all the sudden. It made no sense at all, but it was there, nonetheless. Maybe it was him learning to read her after years of being damn-near oblivious, or maybe he was jumping at shadows again. _You have the best plane, and the best navigator, who also happens to be the best girlfriend a man could ask for. What could possibly go wrong?_ Naruto resumed his checklist.

Hinata Hyūga folded the white dress into her overnight bag as she reviewed the flight plan. They would fly east over the ocean following the Satsunan Islands to the large Amani Island. All told, it would take almost eight hours of flight time to reach the distant island. It would be the longest flight she every would have with anyone, especially Naruto. Unfortunately, this was not a pleasure trip, and the mission was bound to end in some level of awkward embarrassment no matter how it ended.

Hinata tied back her hair with a red ribbon. Anami Island was supposed to be stunning, and couples frequently honeymooned there for a romantic retreat. For her, it only made the stone in her stomach weigh even heavier than it already did. Two nights ago, a messenger had come from Konoha bearing a scroll marked with the Hokage's seal and the Hyūga family seal. The scroll had contained a marriage proposal from the Lord of Anami Island. There was also a letter indicating her father's blessing if she decided to agree to the proposal. Lord Kakashi had also included a message informing her that due to the current diplomatic situation between the village and the island, her response was required in person by some ancient, but still active law.

Hinata clutched the offending scroll, barely restraining her anger as her knuckles turned white around it. Even after Naruto had inspired her to grow stronger despite her being passed over as the family heir, even after he helped bring about victory in the Fourth Shinobi War, even after Naruto had saved her and her sister Hanabi from Toneri, and even after Naruto had stopped the moon from crashing into earth; Father still had the nerve to treat Naruto with little better than indifference. It was as if her father hoped Naruto would be a fad or some phase of her life to be grown out of. The few times Naruto was a guest at dinner or other events, father tolerated him, but he always wore the mask of disapproval he always wore.

Hinata shoved the scroll into the flight bag, willing it to be out of her sight. As much as her father's machinations hurt, the knife in her guts twisted at the thought of Lord Hokage Kakashi encouraging games like this. Kakashi was one of Naruto's mentors for god's sake. Hinata felt a surge of rage; she punched her locker door, the metal bounced from the impact. For the past nine months, she had been the happiest she had ever been in her life. She finally had the love of her life; she and Naruto were talking about getting an apartment together for the remainder of their flight assignment.

It seemed life was full of cruel ironies. She had begged her mom for a little sister only to lose her mom shortly after Hanabi was born. She had longed to have the courage to tell Naruto how she felt only to almost die saving him from Pain after telling him. Naruto had told her his feelings only for the happiest moment of her life to that point to be interrupted by Toneri and the misadventures that followed. Now, her boyfriend was flying her across the ocean so she could answer a marriage proposal from another man.

She swung open the locker again, doing a final check of what she might need for the trip. She pulled out a pill container she had almost forgotten. Hinata popped out today's pill and swallowed. As she stowed the container in her flight bag, Hinata checked herself the mirror one last time. The olive-green blouse and khaki pants she wore were hardly flattering, but it was better safe than sorry as Sakura had told her.

Before leaving to start navigator training, Sakura sat her down for what was probably the most serious chat they had ever had – it was the chat that Hinata never got to share with her mom. While Hinata knew the general gist of what happened with young couples, Sakura was adamant to fill in any gaps before Hinata left. Moreover, Sakura had insisted than Hinata start taking birth control medication. After much embarrassed conversation, Sakura had won the debate, arguing that no one could be sure when the big moment would come. While the busy schedule of training left little time for romance, Hinata had to agree that coming home carrying Naruto's baby if it did happen was a scenario she did not want to test out – especially with her father.

Hinata sighed as she heaved her flight bag over her shoulder and closed the locker door. While she had fallen asleep in Naruto's arms and he had fallen sleep in hers, the past several months had been one wrench after another thrown into their relationship. If it wasn't him being away, it was both of them having to study, and if it wasn't studying it was the sheer exhaustion of racking up flight hours on different schedules. Since arriving in Taiho, Hinata could count on one hand how many minutes she had spent knitting the red scarf she had intended to give Naruto for their first anniversary – the same scarf she had meant to give to him at Rinne Festival last year before Toneri had destroyed it.

Much like her current situation, Toneri had sent her an unwanted marriage proposal. He had also kidnapped Hanabi and was dropping the moon out of its orbit toward earth late last year. Running out of options, she had falsely accepted the proposal shortly after Naruto confessed his true feelings for her. Even nine months later, Hinata still felt guilty despite Naruto's insistence that he understood what had been at stake and that she made the right decision. The most important moment in her life to date had been spoiled, and she couldn't take it back.

Hinata walked back out into the full sunlight of the morning, dispelling some of the gloom. Lord Kakashi and her father were again throwing another challenge in the way of her budding relationship with Naruto. Unlike last year, there was nothing forcing her hand – no world-ending crisis, no kidnapped little sister, and no war to force her decision. She was in charge of her fate now, and she would politely inform the island lord that she was not on the market. _If Lord Kakashi or father don't like it, they can learn to live with disappointment. Nobody asked me for my input. Dammit, I'm not a little girl anymore; I'm a grown woman and not some bargaining chip among noble families!_ She loved Naruto, and she intended to be with him as he had intended to be with her – until the day they both died. Nothing was going to stand in their way this time.

Chapter Two

The rest of the preflight went quickly, and they soon were buttoned up in the cockpit readying for takeoff. Hinata sat in the navigator seat in front, and Naruto in the pilot's seat behind her. The layout was counter-intuitive in most cases, having the pilot in back. However, this aircraft was meant to fly over open ocean, and its designer deemed it more important for the navigator to have the clearest view through the cockpit windshield and canopy. Her station, itself, was cramped with the tools of navigating the plane: a fold out desk for charting the plane's position, three different chronometers, four compasses, two different sextants, controls for the primitive radio direction finder, a variety of chart and reference tables, and a host of tools for measuring and calculating. There was even a set of emergency controls so that she could fly and land the plane as necessary if the pilot was incapacitated.

Hinata shivered at the thought of something bad happening Naruto on this mission. She only had about fifty hours logged at the controls – enough for a navigator. If an emergency happened out over the ocean, she quietly doubted her ability to navigate and fly the aircraft by herself.

"Comms check, comms check, over," Naruto's voice called through her headset into her ears. His voice was reassuring if nothing else. Everything would be fine.

"Reading you loud and clear, hon," she called back over the intercom. She felt herself blush with excitement. Even nine months later, it still felt surreal sharing terms of endearment with Naruto – a childhood fantasy come true.

Whining and sputtering brought her down to reality as the engine began to turn to life. Hinata couldn't help it, but the engine seemed to take a slight bit longer than expected to turn over. Nevertheless, sputters and whines turned into a steady beat and roar as Naruto adjusted the throttle. "Care to do the honors, Hinata?" Naruto called over the intercom as they drifted into the open bay away from the dock.

"My pleasure," she spoke back. A flip of a switch and she was calling on the radio, "Taiho station, this is Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, requesting permission to taxi to the takeoff area."

A crisp voice replied, "Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, taxi to the takeoff marker and hold for further clearance."

"Affirmative." Hinata felt Naruto open the throttle and the plane glided on the surface of the water effortlessly. In a few minutes, they reached the red and green buoys used to mark the take-off zone. A flight of butterflies circled her stomach as she clicked the transmit button, "Taiho station, Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven requesting permission to take off on an easterly course."

The tower controller replied, "Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, winds seven at zero-niner-zero, cleared for take-off on heading zero-niner-zero."

The whine of the engine turned into an angry drone as Naruto throttled up the engine. The plane surged forward as she sank back in her chair from the sudden kick of the extra engine power. They began picking up speed over the water until she felt the wings beginning to pick them out of the water by some unseen hand. The drag of the ocean angrily pulled back, a vicious sea monster not wanting to surrender its prey.

In a snap of fingers, the drag vanished, and the plane surged skyward. The magic of taking to the sky briefly filled her with ecstasy. Radio crackle ended the moment, returning her to business, "Taiho control to Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, climb to and maintain three thousand feet.

"Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, climbing to three thousand feet," Naruto spoke over the radio. Even filtered through static and the incessant hum of the plane, Hinata heard tangible stress in Naruto's normally carefree voice. As she looked out the front window into the vast expanse of the ocean, Hinata couldn't help but worry this was going to be a very, very long flight.

Under other circumstances, Naruto might have appreciated the solitude of flying out over open ocean. However, after four and a half hours, the drone of the engine had worked into every joint of his body like a dentist's drill, his ass was square from sitting in the cramped seat, and he was starting to feel mildly claustrophobic with nothing to distract him from his uncomfortable conditions. The last radio contact had been an hour ago, and their next radio contact wouldn't be for easily another hour. Even with Hinata aboard, piloting and navigation required so much attention, that there was almost no room for idle chatter. Aircrews frequently referred to it as the "sterile cockpit rule" – no nonessential conversation while operating the aircraft.

_Alone though surrounded by others. Some things never change. _The bizarre sense of loneliness took him back to childhood, ostracized by the village. Everyone, except maybe Hinata, could only see the monster he was imprisoning. The air in the cabin turned stifling, making it hard to breathe. Naruto looked toward the ventilation port in the canopy. Opening it would make the cabin noisy as hell, but right now he needed some air. As expected, a loud _whoosh_ of cold, moist air hit him in the face.

A mild patch of turbulence shook him and the plane. As he struggled to maintain level flight, Naruto caught sight of a dark, imposing island being battered by malevolent waves. He knew the island. Instantly, his blood turned to ice water. _Not possible! _Hōzuki Castle stared him in the face like a malevolent skull smiling at him wickedly from the cruel sea. When he was wrongfully imprisoned in the castle, Naruto became horrible seasick being transported in a rickety boat while locked in a wooden cage. The cold damp air had taunted him on the way to the prison as it was doing again now.

Naruto's heart began racing, as did his breathing. He could taste bile in the back of his mouth. Beyond the embarrassment and depravations of being in the hellish prison, the after effect it had on the people and village he loved made the acid in his stomach rise. Granny Tsunade knew he was innocent; yet, she sent him to the prison without any heads up, using him to root out a conspiracy with potentially world-ending consequences. While the conspiracy had been crushed, Naruto had suffered fatal injury in the process. He was only saved by a life-transference jutsu and a brave shinobi's sacrifice.

When word leaked out afterward, mutiny erupted among the Konoha eleven. Sakura and the others had openly refused to accept missions until Tsunade would guarantee she wouldn't needlessly put their lives in danger. Prominent ninja villagers like Hiashi Hyūga, Hinata's father, similarly threatened to withhold support for the war effort for the simmering Fourth Shinobi War. "_If the son of the late Fourth Hokage is expendable, then what guarantee do we have she won't do the same to any of our children!" _Naruto could still hear Hinata's father angrily chastising Tsunade for playing fast and loose with other people's lives. The final nail in the coffin was when Kakashi threatened to resign his command in the war.

Facing the threat of losing the war before it had even started, Tsunade had very publicly apologized to Naruto and agreed before the village elders not to engage in surprise missions. But the damage was done. Even though Naruto did understand her goal, and did forgive her, the longstanding trust he had for the woman he considered a godmother had been irreparably damaged. While they since mended fences, Naruto never again gave her the unquestioning level of respect he once had for her. Tsunade had actually cited that broken trust in her decision to step down as Hokage after the war.

"Naruto, are you all right!" a loud voice screeched through the intercom on his headset, causing Naruto to almost tear the set off his head. He heaved several deep breaths. As he regained his focus, he looked down at nothing but blue ocean staring back out the window; he closed the small ventilation port on the sea air and the bad memories it carried. _It was a mistake taking this assignment._

"Fine, sorry, just spaced out for a minute, sorry," he heaved back through his mic.

Hinata's voice was deeply concerned, "Please turn us to heading zero-four-zero or we'll be off course!"

Naruto turned the pilot's yoke and rudder until he had the plane steady on course. He needed to talk, even if it was bullshit, he couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Hinata, what's our current position?" He tried sounding like nothing had happened, but he knew he wasn't fooling her.

"We're approximately two hundred seventy-five kilometers from our refueling point," she said, looked down at her chart. The sight of her made his breathing calm. _Easy, it was just a bad daydream. _

Naruto checked his watch, and they he check it against the plane's chronometers. They had been aloft for almost five and a half hours already. _No way!_ "Hinata, are you sure?" He called back, trying not to sound alarmed. "If you're right we're way short of where we should be right now."

"We've been hitting fairly steady headwinds since leaving Taiho," she said, looking over her shoulder versus using the intercom. The look on her face said it all. Something more was definitely off. "We're over an hour behind schedule."

"Where does that put our fuel situation?" Naruto asked as he wiped away several beads of sweat he'd accumulated when he was spaced out. He still couldn't believe he'd spaced out for so long, nor could he believe they were that badly behind. _Really, are you that surprised? This whole trip has been one hiccup after another, even without imagining things!_

Hinata consulted her map, running a few calculations. She gave a satisfied nod, turned back to him, and said, "We'll be cutting it close, but we should get there without tapping into reserve levels of fuel." Despite the good news, Naruto felt little relief.

Indeed, Naruto was leaving something significant unsaid to Hinata, and she hadn't seemed to notice it. The plane's propeller was turning consistently about thirty to forty revolutions slower than it should be since engine start. Normally, it wouldn't be a bother with the blade turning over the thousand revolutions per minute, and Naruto looked for any innocent explanation he could: damp air, new plane with a new engine that wasn't broken in fully, or a poorly calibrated RPM gauge. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was significantly wrong with the aircraft since take off.

_To tell or not to tell._ Naruto weighed the decision. On one hand, Hinata was his backup and she deserved to know what he suspected. On the other hand, she already seemed rather stressed since before they left, and he wasn't sure if there would be any point in stressing her out with more bad news. In about two hours or so, it wouldn't matter. They would be in harbor refueling, and he could more thoroughly inspect the fickle engine.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stammered through the intercom, "There is something I need to tell you," her voice trailed off, betraying a high level of nervousness. _She calls me "Naruto-Kun" now only if she's worried; it must be important._

"What's up, Hinata" he called back through the comm.

Hinata, slid off her headset and craned her neck to talk to him directly over her seat. Her normally gorgeous face was stained with red at her cheeks, and her eyes were trained downward, unable to meet his. Naruto slid his headset around his neck. "Hon, what's wrong?" he asked nervously over the drone of the engine.

"Naruto," her face cringed, almost on the brink of tears. Naruto's toes curled in his shoes with foreboding at the thought of what could be so terrible.

Chapter Three

Hinata was sick to her stomach and had been for the past hour. A building sense of poisonous dread filled her as she charted their course and position on the map, each dreadful tick of the chronometer, every mark of pencil lead was a step closer to facing a situation she couldn't avoid. She had been wrong not to tell Naruto about the mission before they left. For the past hour and a half, she had prayed in vain that the wind would pick up to the point where they'd have to turn back – that she could explain on the ground what was happening and not at eight thousand feet over the open ocean.

Unfortunately, the headwinds had only made the margin of safely for reaching their refueling point narrower and the time it would take longer. She had avoided facing problems like this before, namely when Toneri had proposed. The situation then had been high stakes, the world and her sister's life were literally hanging in the balance, and she had been so thoroughly conflicted that she concealed her plan from team, knowing Naruto, Sakura, and probably Shikamaru would never have gone along with it. Hinata felt cold shame at the memory; it was the worst call she had ever made on a mission. Naruto had been heartbroken, and she had been captured, requiring rescue. Had it not been for Sakura's faith in the couple and Naruto's dogged persistence, there was a very good chance her mistake would have cost billions of lives. _And god only knows what Toneri would be making you do with him right now if he had succeeded!_

Her thumb shook as Hinata clicked the intercom, "N-Naruto-Kun," she squeaked, "There is something I need to tell you."

After a moment of brief silence, Hinata worried Naruto might have spaced out again. "What's up, Hinata?" Naruto's voice sounded gravely concerned.

Hinata slid off her headset and unbuckled her seatbelt. This was a conversation to have face to face and not through the filter of electronic static. With mild discomfort, she climbed up to kneel in her seat. Naruto looked awful, sweaty and haunted, like he'd seen a ghost. A crushing wave of guilt and shame washed over her at what she was about to put on his already burdened shoulders. _I should have kept my mouth shut until we landed._

"Hon, what's wrong?" his tone softened, though remained concerned.

"Naruto," she choked, fighting tears internally. "I-I…" Hinata struggled to come up with any explanation, any deflection she could think of, but there were none. The cat was out of the bag. "I need to tell you why we were sent on this mission," she spoke quickly, forcing the words out.

Naruto nodded his head gently, trying to balance paying attention to her and maintaining control at the same time. _Make it fast, we won't be on this heading forever!_ She pulled out the scroll with the seal of the Hokage and her family's seal. A flicker of his blue eyes indicated he understood the seals and that they meant something damn important. "Yesterday, a messenger arrived from the village," she paused gauging his reaction. He remained calm, but visibly still concerned. "The Lord of Anami Island had sent an official marriage proposal to me… I…I… Lord Kakashi…" Hinata couldn't find words.

Naruto's face lost all color in an instant, and his brilliant eyes widened so much she worried they might roll from their sockets. For a moment, his lips moved, attempting to form words. "Hi-nata," he mumbled, "Hinata…" She recognized the look of stark betrayal in his eyes. His eyes had that same look when she had "accepted" Toneri's proposal. _Nonononono!_

"Naruto, please, I should have told you before we left, I'm sorry, I—" her desperate explanation was cut off suddenly by a loud grinding noise coming from the engine. The sound made her heart skip and her bladder shrink to the size of a walnut. _Fuel starvation! No!_

Hinata turned forward into her seat; her eyes took in the terrifying sight of the propeller blade slowing rapidly as the engine struggled to keep pushing the blades around. Her eyes darted to the emergency controls. The fuel indicator was reading just below half tank. _No way we're out of fuel this early, even if my calculations were way off! What the hell!_

The fuel-air mixture lever began pushing forward as Naruto tried leaning out the mix, pushing more air into the engine. Still, the engine refused to return to full power. _Shit!_ Her mental check list ran down possibilities: contaminant in the fuel, plugged fuel line, wrong fuel-air ratio. _Dammit! We checked the fuel tanks before takeoff, and even leaning the mix shouldn't starve the engine of fuel!_

The realization hit her like a brick wall: the engine could also be air-starved! Hinata focused her Byakugan, concentrating. She caught a momentary glance of sheer panic contorting Naruto's usually composed face, and she had to resist the urge to scream as the plane began to nose forward – the prop now not turning with enough power to keep them level. _Focus, you scream, and he'll panic!_ Hinata picked the engine parts apart, and it was clear as crystal – ice crystals in the carburetor!

"Naruto, turn on the carb heater!" She screeched through the intercom. His hands darted toward the switch, and Hinata saw the flow of hot engine air blasting into the ice-choked carburetor. Ahead of her, the ocean began filling the windshield, and she saw the altimeter spinning wildly backwards. _Please not like this!_

A loud choking sound from the engine, and suddenly the engine roared back to full power and the RPM gauge spun wildly in the correct direction. Hinata flew back into her seat as the plane buffeted and nosed up from the sudden increase in engine power.

Hinata released her focus, and her byakugan turned back to regular vision. She took several deep breaths. _I'm starting to get why Naruto hates flying_. She made a personal vow never to bring up any level of drama while in the air again. Her personal life had just come damn close to getting them both killed. Had she not distracted both of them, they could have easily noticed the telltale signs and conditions of carburetor icing.

As Hinata chided herself silently for the next few minutes, she quickly tried to fix their position over the open ocean. As she checked her calculations on her chart, there was a telltale bounce to the aircraft that shook her loose in seat, almost sending her into her instrument panel. _Buckle up for safety, can't you do anything right!_

Hinata sat up and reconnected her safety harness. Another jolt of turbulence jammed the seat into her already sore back and butt. Something clicked in her head, and she once again activated her byakugan. What she saw ahead made her jaw drop.

Naruto had leveled the plane out shortly after the engine came back to full power. Of all things that made Naruto hate flying, he could add carburetor icing to the mix. Even in relatively warm weather, the combination of humidity and changes in air pressure in the carburetor could form ice crystal capable of choking an engine. If he had been any kind of a pilot, he would have remembered it without Hinata having to save his bacon. _If you hadn't lost your cool the second she mentioned another guy…_

Naruto looked up at his girlfriend, disheveled but nonetheless stunning. If Hinata had been planning on leaving him for some princely jerk, she wouldn't have had him fly her out. He wanted to talk to her, to apologize for his reaction, but she seemed a bit too intent on her duties. _You should be, too, idiot!_

There was short but violent bounce of turbulence. Naruto ignored it, instead checking all his instruments. The plane seemed fine, even if it still felt a bit off. His only other major worry was if the huge amount of moisture he felt soaking him was more than sweat. He hadn't pissed himself; at least, he was pretty sure he hadn't. _Way to go ace! _Another bump of turbulence kicked him in the rear.

"Oh shit," he heard the strained words from Hinata over the intercom. After being so preoccupied with almost losing the engine, Naruto hadn't noticed how dark the sky was ahead. In fact, he'd almost would swear it was getting dark, save for the fact it wasn't past four p.m. locally. The first flash of lightning scattered across the clouds ahead, and Naruto suddenly realized what had Hinata on edge. _Oh crap!_

"There's a storm system about thirty kilometers ahead," Hinata said.

"I see that," he replied, "is there any way we can go around?

"Naruto," she responded gravely, "that's easily a continent wide band of storm; I can't see the edge of it." Naruto detected considerable stress in her voice.

The plane buffeted again, this time like they were on a boat in waves. Naruto fought with the controls to keep the plane level, but he knew he couldn't hold out for long. If they entered the storm, the severe burst of updraft and downdrafts would tear the wings from the plane like an insect.

"Hinata," Naruto struggled to focus, "where are we in relation to our refueling point?"

"Other side of the storm by at least a hundred kilometers," she consulted her map.

"Okay," he said, "what about the nearest inhabited island?" He tried to be an optimist. There were many islands, some of them had to be nearby.

Hinata worked her chart furiously, and she shook her head. "No good, it's almost two hundred kilometers beyond our fuel reserve."

_Dammit, could something go right today!_ The storm clouds began growing larger through the canopy. They only had a few more minutes before they'd start hitting even choppier air.

"Naruto, turn left to heading two-five- zero," Hinata's voice came with heavenly calm in a sea of uncertainty. He didn't waste time questioning her; he turned the yolk and the plane turned with its back to the storm. Harsh storm winds and turbulence continued to rattle the aircraft like a predator trying to prevent prey from escaping. Naruto battled furiously with the controls to keep the plane on course. Finally, he needed to know, "Hinata, where are we going?"

A long pause, but Hinata spoke finally, "The island has no name, just a number: SA-439."

Naruto thought back to his local geography and flight training. An island with no name in this chain was uninhabited, but the "S" in the designation meant it was shelter island – a place a pilot could set down in bad weather to ride out a storm. Shelter islands at the very least had freshwater and typically resources where someone with basic survival skills could last long enough to be rescued. _Good girl!_

A gust to tailwind shook them like salt in a shaker. Naruto fought with both arms to keep the plane steady. The junction where his original right arm joined the one grown from the first Hokage's cells ached; it would sometimes do that under stressful circumstances or in bad weather. While he could feel with it and move it the same as the original, it was not truly a part of him. He kept it bandaged over to hide the significant difference in skin tone the prosthetic had to his arm as much as to keep it as a reminder of the cost of maturing during the Shinobi War.

"Descend to three thousand feet, and slow to a hundred knots; the island will be in sight in a few minutes," Hinata's voice had again become strained. Every urge in his body screamed at him to say something, to apologize for his reaction earlier. Unfortunately, he needed to concentrate now, or they wouldn't live long enough to make up over this. Landing in rough conditions like this would be dangerous.

The island came into sight, a forested circle with a small mountain in the center. It wasn't much, but at least it was stable ground and couldn't sink. Naruto continued descending, the winds were at their back, and he needed to land into the wind. "I'm going to overshoot and loop back," he said to Hinata, "The storm is out of the east, and the west end of the island should shelter the plane fairly well.

"Affirmative," she called back weakly. Between the long flight and recent excitement, she sounded exhausted. He, himself was tired, hungry, and sweaty. Naruto reached into a vest pocket for his handkerchief, hoping to dab some of the sweat away from his face. Instead, he felt a plastic wrapper that made Naruto grateful Hinata couldn't see him blush.

The night before he left for flight school, Sakura had literally beat the door down to his apartment in a strange mix of panic and indignity. For about the next hour, she lectured him on proper conduct and consent, and she filled his head with a very clear explanation of male and female reproductive organs and what happened when the two interact. Sakura capped off the impromptu lecture by putting a box of condoms in his face. When he finally asked what had gotten into her and why the sudden lesson in sex ed, Sakura told him she suspected, rightfully, that Naruto's godfather, Jiraya, and Iruka Sensei had not had a chance to educate him on the matter. Furthermore, he was now an adult, in a relationship, and Sakura did not want to deal with the product of him being ignorant of birth control.

Naruto sighed. He wished Jiraya, Iruka, Sakura, or his parents were here now. There was so much about being a man, a boyfriend, that he didn't know. What if he never figured things out? It had taken a miracle for him to realize his feelings for Hinata, and yet, he still didn't understand them fully. He wanted to be with her now and always. But did she really want him; did she really need him? _Is that why you snapped at her, the way you snapped at Pain, the way you snapped at Toneri?_ Naruto had lost almost everyone who ever mattered to him – he couldn't afford to lose her, too.

The banging of turbulence returned his focus to the situation at hand, the plane was now turned into the wind and they were descending on approach to the lagoon he saw on the west end of the island. The sea was choppy but looked relatively calm in the lagoon. As if on cue, the engine began running rough again. Naruto shut off the carburetor heater, but the engine continued sound like it was tearing itself apart – the RPM gauge began slowly dropping. Panic ran down his spine. _Dammit to hell not now!_

It didn't matter, the plane rocked side to side as the it dipped to wave height. _Concentrate!_ If he hit the water wrong, he'd flip the plane and they'd both be dead. He had nearly died countless times, but the thought of Hinata dying because he screwed up made his heart beat against his ribcage. _Focus!_ Naruto nearly broke his arms to keep the plane level. He began cutting the engine power and nosed up; the ocean came at them. Naruto timed it right, the floats hit the water just outside the lagoon. The sudden drag threw them about violently; Naruto struck his head on the side of the canopy. Pain seared along his right temple, but he pushed past it. He adjusted the engine, building momentum to take them into shore, coming up fast.

The grinding of sand under the floats greeted them to the island, and Naruto cut the engine off. For a long, quiet moment, he sat back in his seat, feeling dizzy. The water of the lagoon was relative calm, but the plane still bobbed up and down like a bath toy. Then he heard the rumble of thunder quickly approaching.

Wordlessly, he unfastened his seatbelt, and he released the canopy. Hinata unbuckled and began stowing her charts and instruments. Naruto was up and over the wing and landed past his ankles in water, his boots quickly filled up. A loud splash to his left, and he saw Hinata land. They both grabbed hold of the struts attaching the floats to the plane and began pushing over the soft sand, trying to wedge the plane aground as solidly as possible. Finally, they could move the plane no further.

The first wave of cold wind chilled Naruto like a ghost. It followed with another rumble of thunder, like a dragon clearing its throat. He had been through bad thunderstorms before, but that had been in the safety of the village, with others nearby. Here he was alone.

"Naruto!" Hinata grunted as she heaved the survival pack from the cargo compartment, "I'll set us up shelter past the tree line! Can you get the plane secured by yourself?"

Her authoritative voice remined him he wasn't alone. "Yeah, go on ahead, I'll be right behind you!"

He watched her run off in search of cover. Naruto reached under the plane and grabbed the winch for such an occasion. There was a fairly solid looking tree a few dozen meters away on the beach; Naruto ran toward it, pulling the coarse length of steel cable along. He reached the tree and looped around the trunk several times, finally hooking and locking the cable back to itself.

The first raindrops hit him as he began running back to the plane, desperately. Without stopping, Naruto mounted the wing and slammed the canopy fully closed. Gravity hadn't even taken complete hold of him when he dismounted and began cranking the winch tightly as his arms could muster. The plane wasn't going anywhere, not in one piece at least.

In the span of time it took to crank the winch taut and get back to the beach, the raindrops went from an occasional plopping to a steady shower and finally a firehose deluge by the time he'd gotten out of the water. Naruto could taste blood washing into his mouth as the assault of the rain made the aching of the right side of his head more intense. His outer layers quickly soaked through, chilling his skin underneath. The joints of his neck, back, and shoulders felt like they were trying to fuse. Sheets of rain made it near impossible to see, and hard to breathe. By the time he reached the tree line, his underwear was soaked as bad as his outerwear.

The wet clothing chaffed his skin, tugging at arms and legs, making it hard to move. Thunder and the force of falling water drowned out most noise, but he could hear Hinata calling out to him – a guardian angel in the hellish storm. He continued toward her voice, praying it wasn't his imagination.

Chapter Four

Hinata sprinted along the trees, looking for a suitable site to make camp. Raindrops were now pelting her like ice-cold shuriken. _Come on, there has to be a decent spot!_ She engaged her Byakugan and saw the small rise ahead. _Perfect!_ She again sprinted, sliding along wet grass and landing hard on both knees as she went forward. Hot, searing pain came as dirt, grass, sand, and bits of rock ground into her skin. _Ignore it! _

Faster than she knew she could, she flung open the lid to the emergency kit, rifling through its contents. Hinata snatched a folded tarp, and in a fluid motion, tore off its packaging with her teeth and unfurled it over the patch of elevated ground. In a few moments, she had metal stakes hammered into the ground, securing a floor for the makeshift shelter. Raindrops began hitting her steadily now. Hinata pulled the life raft from the kit and yanked the inflator. The orange and yellow raft expanded out in front of her.

As expected, the standard life raft was large enough to hold six people. She flipped it over and used the raft's tie downs to connect it to the stakes holding the tarp down. Hinata tossed the rations, survival blankets, a flashlight and first aid kit under the raft and slammed shut the lid before tying the box to the raft. Rain was now showering over her. The cold water made her hands slick, wrinkled, and achingly stiff. Both knees, now thoroughly skinned, were staining her khaki pants with blood. The rain increased mercilessly; each breath felt like being waterboarded. Her outfit clung to her like soaked bath rags.

Hinata again activated her Byakugan, searching desperately for Naruto. He spied him approaching, staggering. From the distance, she could see a gash on his right temple, blood streamed down the right side of his head. _My poor Naruto!_

His hand came to his brow, trying to keep the rain out of his eyes. She could tell he was lost. "Naruto!" she shouted over the roar of the weather. He caught the sound of her, coming toward her. She shouted again, "NARUTO!" Hinata slogged toward his staggering form. She met him halfway, taking his hand. Even in the cold, driving rain, his hand was still warm and reassuring.

Hinata guided him through the rain, finally reaching their shelter. Her already sore knees burned as she crawled into the shelter, guiding Naruto in behind her. She fumbled for a moment, finally reaching their flashlight. The sudden bright light painfully caused her eyes to adjust for a moment. Lightning struck nearby with an ear-shattering crash. Panic consumed her as the rain pelted the raft, drowning out all other sound.

To Hinata's surprise, Naruto put his arms around her, clamping his eyes shut like a frightened child. His embrace was the only source of warmth she felt as the air chilled around them. The cold rain had soaked down to her socks and underwear, and heat was bleeding off her body. Still, she did not try freeing herself from Naruto. For all she had been through with him, she had never seen the boy who would be Hokage look so terrified as he did now. Staying with him was the least she could do after the mess she had put him through.

Her heart continued to pound as the deluge of rain pounded angrily at the roof of the shelter. She, too, was afraid of the storm but never expected Naruto to be. He was shivering. "Naruto, it's all right, say something," she said into his ear.

"Hinata," his voice cracked through tears. Naruto continued to cling to her as lightning struck several times in rapid succession. She clung back. This was all her fault – she was the reason they were on this flight. If she hadn't been so damn anxious to answer this proposal, if…

"Hinata, I'm sorry," Naruto wept, "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" she asked, feeling confused. The air chilled her to the point where she had to stay cuddled into Naruto.

"I'm sorry Hinata," he was still crying, but sounded more composed. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did! And I'm sorry I'm acting like such a big child now!"

"Naruto," she pleaded, "It's my fault! I should have told you everything before we left, but I was too big of a coward to say anything. I was worried you'd misunderstand, and now I've hurt you again!" Hinata began to cry.

His hand caressed away her tears. In the light of the flashlight, his stunning blue eyes also leaked tears as they locked with hers. There wasn't need for words; she shut off the light. In the darkness, her eyes could still see him as clearly as if the light were on. Naruto understood the intention, the language of love. They pulled together and kissed. His lips were warm, inviting. The thumping of rain on the raft was drowned out by the beating of their hearts.

Another loud crash of thunder caused them to break their kiss and huddle low. "The storm seems to have no end," she whispered to Naruto's lips.

Naruto traced away a strand of her wet hair. "I remember a storm like this when I was a kid, about five years old."

"I remember that storm," Hinata thought back to a sad time. "Mom had died a few days earlier," tears again threatened to overcome her. Father had been distant before, but losing mom had broken something in him. Even as a little girl, Hinata could understand the pain her father felt. He had shut out the world, become harsher than he had been before. "Despite knowing that I was terrified of the storm, he made her sit in my room, alone."

"I had spent that night by myself, too," Naruto said. "I would have given anything to have anyone with me." He slowly caressed the side of her cheek. "We've both lost so much – your mom, your title, my parents, Jiraya Sensei – the thought of losing you…" his voice trailed off.

"Naruto, I would never have said yes to the proposal, I… I'm sorry I didn't make that clear!"

"Honey, you apologized to me after what had happened with Toneri. I-I guess I never faced it fully," he sniffled. "I thought I'd lost you!"

She took his face in her hands, "Face it with me now, Naruto Uzimaki!" She leaned in to kiss him again. "I love you, and I always have, since the day you stood up for me to those three bullies. You're not getting rid of me that easily!" She kissed him passionately, putting the force of many years spent fantasizing for a moment she would prove her love to him.

When the hunger for air forced them to separate, Naruto grinned, panting. "You do remember," he paused, "I did get my ass kicked that day."

"It didn't matter," she grinned back at him. "To a little girl who needed someone to admire, it meant the world to her. It still does." She kissed him again longer and deeper than she ever had. Of all the places she had expected romance to happen, she never expected it to be on a deserted island, seeking cover under a life raft in the mother of all thunderstorms. _I guess Sakura was right about not knowing when big moments happen. _

A cold breeze made her shiver. Even Naruto, warm as he felt against her body, began to shake involuntarily. Nervously, he said, "You know, we really need to get out of these wet clothes."

Hinata's kiss provided a strong contrast to the chill in the air. They were both soaked through, and inside of his boots felt like a squishy swamp as his toes curled under her passion. Hypothermia and trench foot would be an inglorious way to go out. If they didn't shed the wet clothes, and get warmed up, they could be in serious trouble.

There was no delicate way of saying it, but he knew it had to be said, "You know, we really need to get out of these wet clothes." Despite his best effort, it sounded as perverted as something pervy sensei would have said. Naruto would have given anything to suck the words back in. Panic gripped him, "Hinata, I didn't mean it; I mean not like how it sounded!" His voice cracked.

Hinata giggled, "It's all right, hon, we really do." She reached for his hand, massaging it gently. Naruto's heart thumped in his chest as she ran his hand along the side of her face. Even in the dim conditions, he could see her coy smile; she was hauntingly beautiful.

"If you want, I can turn my back I…"

She didn't let him finish. Hinata pulled him in again. "Naruto," she paused guiding his hand to her collar, "undress me, let me prove to you how much you mean to me." She guided his fingers to undo the first button on her blouse, and another, and another. Hinata covered his mouth with hers, and her hands were unfastening the buttons of his shirt. Slowly their outer layers were discarded to the far corner of their shelter. Some pieces, such as their soaked footwear and socks, required significant levels of cooperation to doff, allowing for shared moments of mischievous laughter and more kissing.

Finally, they were down to their underclothes. The moist, chilled air continued to rob them of body warmth slowly, forcing him and Hinata to maintain close body contact. _The feel of her is quite the bonus to the survival factor. _

"Na-Naruto-kun," Hinata said breathlessly to his lips as she pried away his final layer and he removed hers. Hinata pulled over them one of the survival blankets, essentially a special form of mylar foil, and they were fully entwined, body to body.

"Hinata," words failed Naruto as he spoke in a husky, strained voice. On the dawn of his seventeenth birthday, Naruto had spoke to his reanimated father as Minato was preparing to return to the other side. Naruto at that time knew nothing about girls, only that Mom had hoped he would find someone like her. He deep down hoped that Mom, Dad, and Jiraya would approve of Hinata. Spying her beautiful eyes and loving smile in the low light, he had no doubt they would approve.

Hinata's hands, still not fully unfrozen, traced cool over his heart, causing it to thunder out of control as her fingers worked slowly to the sides of his face. The rest of her pressed up against him, causing his body to burn feverishly. The words escaped without consideration, "Hinata… do you… want to…" Naruto struggled against an uncertainty clinging the statement to his throat. For the many times he'd put his life in danger, he never thought something like this could make him apprehensive.

"N-Naruto-kun," she stammered, but maintained a low, mysterious voice, "m-make love with me," she kissed him deeply, rolling to her back as she pulled him atop of her, "I want you so badly right now."

Naruto nodded and grinned. _Now or never, just take it slow and let her guide you. _"Your wish is my command," Naruto reached into the darkness, his hand finding his vest and finding the precious objects within.

"You knew?" Hinata sounded mildly surprised.

"Actually," Naruto felt pink in his cheeks as he got ready, "Sakura kicked in the door to my apartment and gave me the talk before I shipped out," he laughed at the ridiculousness of the story.

Hinata surprisingly giggled in return. "She did something similar with me, made me start taking birth control before I left," Hinata paused, tilting her head curiously, "You don't think she planned this somehow?"

Naruto laughed at the thought, "Not that she wouldn't try," he said, kissing Hinata along the neck, "but I somehow think she knew we'd do this eventually. I think she wanted to make sure we didn't get in a bad situation from it." He had worked his way to her ear by his last words.

"We can't have that, Father would be rather upset if nine months from now I suddenly made him a grandfather," she giggled playfully. For a long moment, she stared at him with her supernatural beauty. "You ready?" She asked as she wrapped her legs around him.

Naruto nodded, and he gave himself to her, and she gave herself to him. For several moments, there was no sound, even as the rain pounded at the raft over their heads. All Naruto could hear was their two hearts beating as one and their passioned breathing as they connected beyond the simple physical connection.

"Hinata!" he breathed heavily.

"Naruto!" she held him closely. Words faded away, and they let their lips and their bodies speak the language of love to one another.

Chapter Five

Sakura stood beside Naruto's friend and apprentice, Konohamaru, examining the swollen mass that was his left wrist. "Tell me again, how did you come to break your wrist?" she asked as she applied a healing ointment over the injured site.

"Ping pong accident," Hanabi Hyūga said innocently from the corner of the room. Both had come into the clinic on this rainy morning. Konohamaru wore his typical mission gear, and Hanabi wore her simple, yet eminently expensive robes. Unlike her older sister, Hanabi was not afraid of flaunting her looks or her clothing.

Sakura silently wondered if the ping pong _accident_ had something to do with Konohamaru trying to impress the young lady. _Naruto with Hinata would be enough; I can't imagine Hiashi being able to handle Naruto's near kid-brother with Hanabi!_ She silently laughed as she wrapped the boy's wrist in a semi-rigid brace.

Lightning crashed outside, distracting Sakura momentarily enough to look outside the window to the violent storm. "It must have been some game," she said as she secured the brace.

"Actually," Konohamaru said, "it didn't end so well." His voice suggested an unusual amount of stress for the normally carefree youth.

"What are you two not telling me?" She insisted, looking menacingly at her patient.

"Sakura," Hanabi's voice became sullen, "Naruto and Hinata were supposed to fly out to Anami Island on some kind of diplomatic mission…" Hanabi struggled visibly to choke back tears.

"It'll be all right, Hanabi, boss-man knows what he's doing! He wouldn't let a thing happen to your sister!" Konohamaru leapt up from the table to the girl's side.

It took a short moment, but Sakura put two and two together. "What happened to Naruto and Hinata, Konohamaru!" Sakura yelled.

"They're fine, Sakura, they're just overdue, that's all!" he tried and failed to reassure her.

"They were over the ocean when the storm front hit," Hanabi wiped tears from her eyes, "They haven't been heard from since. When the courier told us, Konohamaru tripped, and well, you know! We were on the way to the Hokage's office to see if there had been any news when his hand started swelling up, so we came here first!"

Sakura snarled at Konohamaru. How could the idiot be so calm at a time like this! Naruto and Hinata were probably scared, hungry, and lonely if they had been caught out in a storm anything like the one that was raging outside. Without thinking, she rushed to the intercom and called the front desk, "Hold scheduling further patients; I have to take these two to the Hokage's office!"

Hinata woke early, still basking in wonderment over last night. Naruto lay, still sleeping next to her when she first stirred. Gingerly, she snaked loose from his loving embrace. A quick check of her watch revealed it was 0700. While the rain had stopped, the air was still cool, humid, and layered in morning mist. The sky, too, was still grey and overcast.

As much as she'd rather stay here lay with him all day, this was not a romantic getaway, not exactly at least. She worked free of the warm cocoon of blankets. Hinata found her underwear in the pile of discarded clothing, and she found her still wet boots. It was a bizarre choice of outfit, but it would be much less embarrassing to greet an unlikely early rescuer in her still damp underwear that it would be to greet them in the nude.

The boots weren't comfortable without socks, but she'd make do until she'd reach her flight bag. She hugged herself closely against the chill in the air. The thought of dry clothing and fresh undergarments sounded heavenly right now, a close second to curling back up with Naruto again.

_Mind out of the gutter, Hinata! _She giggled to herself. Naruto and she had been stunned by the intensity of their first time last night. Afterward, they had laid quietly for a while, eventually eating some of the emergency rations before turning in again for the rainy night. In the dark of the night, with the sound of rain, and not a stitch of dry clothing to be had; they had made love again twice more before finally falling asleep. Hinata was supremely glad she had listened to Sakura's advice about taking contraceptives. _This will be difficult enough to explain to Father as is. "By the way, I'm pregnant," is probably not good idea._

Hinata pushed father aside for now. She reached the plane, finding it intact and still firmly anchored. Beads of water still coated the plane's skin, suggesting the rain hadn't stopped until recently. Hinata went to the cargo compartment in the rear and retrieved her flight bag as well as Naruto's.

A quick check with her Byakugan confirmed no one in sight for as far as she could see. She felt a bit self-conscious; regardless, she stripped out of her wet undergarments out in the open and promptly put her fresh ones from her flight bag on. Unfortunately, this had only been expected to be an overnight trip. In terms of other clothes, she had a mildly revealing set of sleepwear and the white dress from yesterday. She decided the dress would be more practical for today.

Fully dressed, she turned to leave, but curiosity got the best of her. Using her Byakugan, Hinata looked into the engine, seeing what she suspected. Her heart sank a bit, and any hope of getting off this island today quickly faded. She had to check on Naruto and start making preparations for a longer than expected stay.

Hiashi Hyūga paced outside the Hokage's office, awaiting admittance. The last time he had felt this nervous, both of his daughters were in mortal peril. Much to his chagrin, both had required rescue by Naruto Uzimaki. _And once again, that boy is at the heart of this crisis!_

"Lord Hiashi, Lord Kakashi will see you now," the Hokage's assistant bowed as she held the door open to the office. Hiashi rushed in to find Kakashi at his desk, covered in a mountain of papers. Hiashi had live to see four different Hokages in office, outliving two of them. To the side wall, he spied the photos of those who had come before. His eyes froze for a moment on the photograph of Minato, Lord Fourth Hokage. For a brief moment, he thought it was a photo of Naruto. _Eyes playing tricks on me now; I must be getting old!_

"Lord Hiashi," Kakashi rose from his chair and bowed, "this is an unexpected pleasure." Kakashi's tone suggested not one hint of worry.

"Lord Hokage," he bowed in return, "A courier came by this morning with disturbing news about Hinata."

"Oh yes, I see news travels faster than ever!" Kakashi nodded, again seeming oblivious to his worries.

"You knew?" Hiashi was stunned. _How could Lord Sixth keep that to himself and not be worried!_

"I only found out a little bit ago, probably at the same time you did," Kakashi replied.

"And what is being done!" Hiashi flashed with anger like the lightning outside the window.

Kakashi raised both hands in an attempt to calm him, "I assure you, all search and rescue assets are being mobilized by the Satsuan authorities as well as our own, but you must understand they are simply overdue, not even gone long enough to be declared missing."

"THIS IS MY DAUGHTER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Hiashi erupted. Kakashi remained dead calm, and Hiashi felt mildly embarrassed. He wasn't talking to Naruto; he was addressing the protector of the village. Deflated, he let out a sigh, "My apologies Lord Hokage, I-I…"

"I understand, Hiashi," Kakashi maintained his even tone, "A father's love can be a terrible burden; I know all too well."

Hiashi let the words roll in his head. He had not been a good father to either of his daughters. At a critical moment in their lives, he had put the well-being of the clan above their well-being, and he had pitted the two against one another. As a result, he had disinherited Hinata in favor of Hanabi out of anger and disappointment. With the advantage of hindsight, Hiashi knew he had been overly impulsive, had let the clan elders influence the decision too thoroughly. Hinata had been a child when he made the decision, barely able to go on missions with her team. As she grew up, Hiashi came to regret the poisonous decision with every passing day. He had no way of knowing she'd grow to be a war hero, one of the village's saviors. He had no way of knowing she'd be the key to stopping Toneri and preventing the world's end – becoming the most powerful Byakugan user in the world as a result. That alone should have made her clan heiress again.

Unfortunately, re-inheriting her was much more challenging than throwing her aside had been. The clan elders were unmoving in their ways, insisting she'd have to marry into strong nobility or royalty to be eligible for re-inheritance. He knew it was nigh impossible for two reason: first, there were few high-level noble families remaining that were open to such a marriage, and second, Hinata was beyond infatuated with Naruto.

Hiashi had argued with the clan elders: Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, a living legend several times as heroes went, and he would one day succeed Kakashi. Truth be known, Hiashi really didn't dislike Naruto nearly as much as most people thought he did. His father had been his friend, and while the boy could be wily sometimes, he had grown remarkably in a very short span of time, much to Hiashi's surprise. While he would never admit to it, he actually looked forward to Naruto visiting the house. Hinata seemed to glow brighter and stood taller when the boy was around.

"Lord Hiashi, are you all right?" Kakashi broke his train of thought.

"My apologies, I was deep in thought," he replied.

"Understandable! As I was saying, she has Naruto with her, I'm sure she's fine!" Kakashi said.

"Are you sure that's a good thing?"

"By all accounts, he's a cautious pilot," Kakashi paused, "He'd never do anything to remotely put your daughter in harm's way."

"Even given this plan?" Hiashi asked.

"Especially given this plan," Kakashi nodded.

Their conversation was interrupted as three familiar figures rushed through the door. Hanabi, of course, was his other daughter. She led her friend, Konohamaru, by the arm. The boy's left hand was in a cast of some type. Apparently, the fall during their ping pong game had been semi-serious. Even more serious perhaps was the hint that more than friendship was budding between the two. _Hinata falls for Naruto; Hanabi hangs out with Naruto's biggest fanboy. Why couldn't my girls find respectable young men? _Hiashi sighed. It could be worse; at the very least Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, and Konohamaru was the grandson of the Third Hokage – Hinata and Hanabi weren't hot for the latest group of boy musicians.

The third person to walk in was Hinata's friend, Sakura. Hiashi suspected she was partly to blame for Hinata and Naruto ending up together. Sakura had encouraged Hinata to knit the red scarf, and Sakura had been a frequent guest at the house lately – the conversation between her and Hinata usually being about boys.

Soaked in rain and out of breath, clearly having sprinted from her work at the clinic, Sakura heaved, "Lord Hokage! Naruto…Hinata!... Missing…"

"It's all right Sakura," Kakashi replied, "Search and rescue is already looking for them."

"But Lord Hokage, the boss and his girl are missing! There has to be something we can do!" Konohamaru referring to Hinata as Naruto's girl made Hiashi grimace inwardly. Having the marriage proposal sent, the way it was sent, was far from fair or ethical. Still, there was a chance to re-inherit Hinata into the clan, and he had to take it no matter the long odds. Sadly, taking the chance had put his daughter in harm's way and probably would ruin any chance for mending fences at this point. _Assuming she lives! Was this little stunt worth the risk!_

"I agree," Kakashi said, "Sakura, please take Konohamaru, and please get Shikamaru. Take the first train to Taiho and keep me posted on things as they happen directly.

"What about me?" Hanabi asked with a measure of indignance.

"The clan needs you here," Hiashi said firmly.

"Father…"

"No, you're staying in Konoha because I'm going to Taiho as well!" Hiashi exclaimed. "I'm the reason Hinata is out there! I should be there now!" He turned to Sakura and Konohamaru, "You two gather your friend and meet me at the train station. I'll have our tickets ready by the time you get there!" Hiashi rushed from the office.

Naruto Uzimaki felt the tide sleep receding as morning sun crossed over him. He didn't want the dream he had had to dissolve as he knew it would. Hinata had taken him places he'd never been, never knew he could go, in last night's dream. She had pulled away the last lingering thread of his boyhood, making him cross the threshold of being a man, finally.

Gentle fingers caressed through his hair, and he could faintly hear Hinata humming a familiar love song. The sensation warmed his stiff joint as he stretched out. As he did, what Naruto felt, rather did not feel, caused his eyes to spring open. His vision flooded with familiar sights: the raft, the woods around them, and Hinata, looking gorgeous as ever in her white summer dress from yesterday. A quick look down confirmed he was wrapped in a survival blanket but otherwise naked as the day his mom gave him life.

Hinata smiled, radiant with the glow of overcast morning around her, "Good morning, love."

Naruto stared at her for a long moment; finally, he had the courage to ask, "Hinata, is this a dream?"

She shook her head, "No, silly, neither was anything from last night." She smiled thinly, letting his imagination fill in the gaps. The memory of being cold and sad crossed his mind, as did the memory of repeated fiery passion. _Damn!_

"Hon, normally I'd let you sleep, especially after everything from yesterday," she gently caressed the side of his face, "but we have a lot to talk about and do." Her tone suggested she was referring to something survival related. She patted her hand on something nearby; he turned his head to see his mission gear from his flight bag folded neatly next to him. "Get dressed, and I'll give you the rundown on what's up."

Naruto cautiously slid from under the blanket and out from under the raft. Hinata blushed, as did he, as he reached for his clothes and got dressed. On a makeshift clothesline nearby, he saw all their stuff from yesterday spread out to dry. Warm clothing did feel good, he had to admit. _But not quite as good as being wrapped up with her!_

He shook the naughty thought from his mind. "So, how about we have a look at the plane?" he said, trying to focus on the task at hand. They had a marriage proposal to shut down, and he was eager to get moving.

"I'm afraid I already did," Hinata sounded worried, "There are metal shavings in the oil filter."

His heart sank with the simple sentence. To the untrained, it didn't sound like a big deal having small metal shavings in the engine oil. For once, he almost wished he didn't know the implications of that problem; the engine had some serious defect to the point where it was ripping itself apart from the inside. They were now stuck here. "By chance, did you activate the locator beacon?"

"Of course," she nodded. "Per procedure, we leave the locator beacon on all day and build a signal fire near the aircraft and keep it going all day. That last part I could use a hand with."

Hinata knew her stuff. _Good girl._ The beacon would pulse ever few seconds for several days on one set of batteries if they stuck to procedure. Because search aircraft wouldn't fly at night, it was on at dawn, off at dusk. "How long after being declared overdue can we expect anything of a rescue effort to be launched?"

"Depends, in our case, with no radio distress signal sent, typically twelve hours," she walked with him to the plane, "If they aren't up there looking, they will be soon." She looked up to the sky.

"Do you want to man the radio while I get the fire built?" he asked.

"Probably too early, but yeah." She said. He watched her climb back into the plane and start working the radio. They'd make distress calls a few times an hour until the plane's battery gave out. After that, they still had the smaller emergency set in the kit.

_Get a grip! You're near populated islands and major shipping lanes, and people are looking for you! Besides, you're not exactly alone, either._ Naruto smiled crookedly, as he made for the tree line to gather firewood. The thought of being stuck here for a while with Hinata sounded more than a bit pleasant.

Chapter Six

The signal fire cracked and crackled behind Hinata as she cast her fishing line into the lagoon. The fish were biting today, thankfully. While Hinata was not a fan of seafood in most cases, it was still a hell of a lot better than the dry, chalky ration bars in the emergency kit.

She slowly reeled back in her lure, keeping watch for Naruto, who was diving further out with a spear. He, too, had speared a few fish, at least enough to where dinner would be filling. The lagoon also had a fairly extensive supply of oysters growing in its sheltered depths. She already had foraged some wild greens that were known to be edible as side to tonight's dinner. With the exception of waiting to be rescued, the island was almost a hidden paradise.

Hinata sighed as she reeled the line back in. Part of her wanted to stay here with Naruto forever, away from the world – no having to face the prince on Anami Island. The other part of her knew it was incredibly selfish. They both had friends and family who were probably worried sick after two full days of them being missing. She and Naruto both had another two months on the flight assignment. As nice as it was sleeping together in their little shelter, Hinata missed the feel of a real bed, with real sheets. When they got back, hopefully Naruto would join her.

She cast again. When the sun was down and the camp cleaned up, there hadn't been much else to do but talk and indulge in one another near the campfire. Hinata thought back to the cute little apartment they'd looked at near the oceanfront. She wondered if it would have the same appeal after two nights in the wilderness. _Any night spent with him is a good night_. Hinata giggled silently.

A tug on the line, she jerked the pole up to set the hook. Father had taken her fishing as a child, before Hanabi was born. It was one of the few truly sweet memories she had of him. When he was outside the bubble of being the clan leader, he could almost be pleasant. She longed to have that part of her father back. She wished she could find the quiet, kind man who had been lost in a sea of tragedies – uncle's death, mom's death, Neji's death, and others. For as unhappy as her childhood had been, she could only imagine how unhappy father's reign as clan leader was.

The fish reeled in, another mackerel for the skillet tonight. She threw it into the live well they'd made from the plastic case the emergency kit had come in. Her thoughts returned to Naruto and her father. Naruto was respectful of Father. She could tell Naruto did not approve of the way father treated Hinata now or in the past, but he made no effort to undermine Father's place in her life. Father on the other hand couldn't seem to see everything Naruto had achieved, had help her achieve, since they been at the academy. There was almost a genetic level of disgust she couldn't fathom.

As Naruto came out of the shallows, she stopped thinking about father. Lacking proper swimwear, Naruto had gone swimming without anything on – best to keep what clothes they had free from saltwater as much as possible. Hinata was starting to get used to seeing him this way. In the past, seeing him in general might cause her to faint; she could only imagine what the past version of herself would do if she could see him like this.

"Hey you!" he said energetically as he closed the distance. Hinata blushed like a cherry as he kissed her. "How was your catch?"

"Amazing," she said to his lips. Hinata wasn't strictly referring to the fish, either.

He kissed her again, this time wrapping his arms around her, pulling her to him tightly. "I love you, Hinata," he said as he withdrew his lips from hers.

"I love you, too," she pulled him back to her, not quite satisfied. His kiss in reply was strong, soothing her troubled mind.

Naruto pulled back breathlessly, "Hinata," he said in a hushed tone, "not that I'm not all for this, but we'll be missing our radio call time."

_Dammit!_ As much as she wanted to skip the radio call, she knew their chances of being found lessened considerably if they didn't active signal for help. "I'll get started on dinner," Naruto grabbed his clothes folded next to the live well and got dressed, "meet you back at the camp!"

As they went their separate ways, Hinata felt a degree of foreboding climbing back into the cockpit. After this adventure, she honestly didn't know if she'd ever climb into a plane again. Then there was the thought of what would happen after they were rescued.

Hinata flipped a few switches and put on her headset. She had already firmly made up her mind to decline the marriage proposal from the prince of Anami Island and keep her relationship with Naruto. But what then? Father's intentions were uncertain. _He had to have known I wouldn't accept. Did he really think I'd just accept things as they were presented? If I was the clan heiress, that might be different, but I'm not. To the elders I'm just a nobody that will be out of their hair in another year or so! So why did he choose to do this now of all times!_

Hinata pushed aside her worries – they wouldn't matter if they were never rescued. This was the last hour they could make this call before any search aircraft would be recalled for the night. "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday," she called over the radio, "This is Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven calling any callsign."

For a moment, nothing. Hinata was about to key the mic again what a voice rang through her headset, "Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, this is Coast Guard twelve eighty-seven, what is your position?"

Hinata's heart leapt with excitement, "Coast Guard twelve eighty-seven, we are on shelter island Sierra Alpha four-three-niner!" Hinata bounced in her seat with the news.

"Affirmative, Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, we will be overflying your position momentarily," the other pilot called back. As expected, the plane approached low overhead and circled twice. "Juliet Alpha two-seven-seven, the rescue vessel _Haru_ will be at your position at 1000 tomorrow morning. Stay safe until then!"

"Affirmative, over and out!" Hinata called back into the radio. The search plane took off to the northeast toward the approaching night. Hinata removed her headset, shut off the radio, and sat back in her seat. Things on the island had been fun while they lasted. Stars were starting to become visible now. Hinata sighed in and out a deep breath. In the distance she saw Naruto running toward her. _One night left in paradise. Make the most of it!_

Dinner proved surprisingly flavorful; Naruto supposed the prospect of being rescued in the morning may have added a certain seasoning to the fish and oysters. After dinner, Hinata pulled out her knitting, and Naruto sat behind her, gently massaging her shoulders. For a long while, they sat together in silence. Naruto marveled at the red scarf that had formed from seemingly nothingness. Naruto could tell she was finishing it, adding the frills characteristic to the edge of a scarf.

Hinata had twice before made Naruto a red scarf; both had been destroyed during the mission to rescue Hanabi last year. A few days after they became a couple officially, Hinata had asked him for the small fragment she had given him of the second one. Hinata explained that she wanted to knit it into a third scarf, the one she was finishing now. _Nine months of stop and go, long enough to have a child. _

Naruto kissed the side of Hinata's neck, causing her to blush. "You are super tense when working on this," he said as he continued working on the muscle knots in her shoulders.

"It- it takes a lot of concentration," Hinata stammered.

"I'm not distracting you too badly, am I?" Naruto whispered to her ear.

Hinata turned to meet his lips with hers, "You're a bit late to distract me, it's done!" Her excitement was palpable as she gently ran the material through her fingers. Naruto pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her as long as he could go without air.

When they separated, there was a long moment of panting as they both replenished their body's exhausted supply of air. Naruto licked his lips, still tasting her kiss on them. "I've been meaning to ask," he said inquisitively, "how did you learn to knit? Not from your dad, I'm sure."

"From my mom," she replied, still catching her breath, "she taught me when I was very little."

"Will you teach our children to knit someday?" Naruto asked. He froze. The seemingly innocent question had major implications, some of which he had been thinking of before they left on this mission. The past two days, he'd had nothing but time to ponder their future.

"Our… children…" Hinata blushed violently red.

"I mean…" Naruto stumbled, "someday! I-I…" Naruto tried to think of words to explain what he had meant.

Hinata took care of the issue for him, "I'd like that very much, Naruto-kun," she kissed him again. Hinata turned herself around, wrapping her legs around him. Hinata stared at him curiously for several long moments. Then she kissed him again and again until they had to catch their breath. "Now you have me curious," she said breathily to his lips, "why the sudden mention of children?"

He couldn't help but worry that he was rushing things. He and Hinata had made up for lost time desperately since becoming a couple, especially in the last few days. _After nearly losing her to Toneri because you didn't act sooner, are you really going to be afraid now? Nine months as a couple is nine months longer than any other relationship you've ever had!_ "I guess," he said, "I'm just thinking of the future."

"Naruto," Hinata wrapped herself around him, making his heart pound, "tell me about our future," she began nibbling his ear.

It took supreme focus to say anything, "Well," he paused as she continued to gently suck at his ear, "I can't promise you anything great, Hinata. I'm not a prince, and I'm just an instructor."

"You'll be the Hokage before you know it," she whispered in his ear, causing a chill to run down his spine to his toes.

"And I'll be busier than ever if that happens," he said. "Plus there is no guarantee…"

"You've wanted it your whole life, and I know it will happen," she cut him off.

"I just want you to know what you'll be getting into if…" Naruto trailed off, feeling more nervous than he had ever felt in his life.

"If what?" Hinata pushed his chin up, bringing his eyes to hers.

"If you say yes," he said, finding his fire again.

Hinata tilted her head to the side, "Say yes to what?" she asked curiously.

Naruto reached into his pocket, extracting the curious object he had found while preparing dinner. The small orb glowed soft white against the campfire light.

"Is that?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, I found it in one of the oysters while getting dinner ready," Naruto held out the pearl.

"It's beautiful!" Hinata said as she hugged him close.

"Not as beautiful as you," Naruto felt the air around him warming up as Hinata clung tightly to him. _Say it, coward!_ "I thought it would better," he paused to consider carefully his next words, "in an engagement ring."

Hinata separated from him, staring at him uncomfortably with her pearly Byakugan eyes. The implication was there. "Naruto-kun," her voice was taut, "are you… asking me?"

Naruto felt the lump that was his heart pounding in his throat. He had had enough of other men interfering with Hinata. Naruto felt all the frustration of the past several months transform into determination. _Now or never!_ "Hinata Hyūga, I love you more than life, itself! Will you marry me!"

For a long moment, she remained statue frozen. Hinata's eyes grew so wide Naruto worried they might roll out of their sockets. Tears began collecting at the corners of her eyes, sparkling like diamonds by firelight. _Oh no!_

Unexpectedly, she sprung forward, knocking him on his back as she forced a kiss on his lips that struck with lighting. Several gentle tears ran along his cheek, hers mixing with his. She withdrew, her tear-soaked smile radiant and beautiful. "May I take that as a yes?" he teased with a wide grin.

Hinata leaned over him, nose to nose, "What do you think?" she grinned mischievously. She exchanged another long kiss with him. Naruto felt his head spinning.

Hinata came to rest, listening to Naruto's heart. "You do realize when we get back, this is going to be hell to pay," she said.

"Having second thoughts?" Naruto asked, only mildly worried.

"Never," she said as she sat upright. She offered him a hand and brought him upright as well. "I just want you to know that I can be as much trouble as you can be," she giggled. She looked at him thoughtfully, "You know, I'm supposedly the Byukugan Princess, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto smile as he carefully tucked the pearl back in his pocket. He knew where this was going.

"And being that this island has no other governing authority, that makes me it's ruler by default," she said with a grin. She pulled Naruto to her, "Do you, Naruto Uzimaki, take me to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, forsaking all others for as long as you shall live?" Hinata punctuated the question with a deep kiss, leaving no space for a negative reply.

When Naruto could speak again, he breathily said, "I do." It was his turn now. Even though this vow wasn't binding anywhere but here, Naruto could feel his heart beating against his ribs. "Do you Princess Hinata Hyūga take me to be you lawfully wedded husband," they paused for another kiss, "to have and to hold in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, forsaking all others for as long as you shall live?"

"I do," she smiled. Her hands reached around him. Naruto felt something soft and warm wrap around him, "Please accept this as a token of my love," Hinata pulled the scarf she had finished around his neck and tied it around both of them, "as this bond has no end, never shall my love for you!" She rested her head on his chest, crying gently.

Naruto reached for his flight bag. It took only a moment to find it, neatly folded where he had left it. The blue and white scarf his mom had made for him before he was born had been waiting for this moment for over twenty years. It was made from love, and now it was time to pass that love to Hinata as his mom had passed it to him. Naruto teared up, "Please accept this as a token of my love," he cried as he tied the scarf around the two of them, "as its bond has no end, never shall my love for you!"

Hinata reached under his chin, bringing their eyes level with one another. Her smile was impossibly too large for her face, even through tears. "By the power vested in me as the Byakugan Princess, I declare us husband and wife," she took his face in her hands, "Now kiss me dammit!" Naruto obliged his princess, his wife.

Chapter Seven

The rescue and the two-day journey to Anami Island was hardly pleasant for Naruto. First, the crew had tried putting them in separate quarters. Hinata had told a half-truth, that she and Naruto were recently married, and insisted they be bunked in the same quarters. Naruto initially wasn't sure if she was being paranoid, but he also did not want the Satsuan authorities separating her from him.

Soon after leaving the shelter island, the seas turned heavy, and the Coast Guard ship rocked and bounced heavily in the ocean. Most of the remaining journey to the island was spent taking turns going to the toilet to throw up and laying in their bunks waiting for dry land.

After getting to shore, they were both greeted by customs officials. A tense moment again occurred when the officials tried to separate them. At this point, he was fairly certain something underhanded was up, and Naruto stepped in, telling the officials that they were husband and wife. Their papers hadn't yet been updated. A few tense minutes later, they were issued diplomatic visas good for forty-eight hours and were advised to present themselves to the palace that evening.

The two different events put both of them on edge. Now, Naruto was checking over his shoulder as they were walking down the main street of the capital, looking for a reasonably priced clothing store. Despite the ship having basic hygiene facilities, there were no laundry facilities, and Hinata and he had been wearing the same two sets of clothes, socks, and underwear for almost five days straight. Even rejecting a marriage proposal, Naruto understood the importance of appearing dignified, or at least sanitary

"Here it is," Naruto pointed out the store.

"Good, and nobody is following us, either," she said. They walked hand in hand the whole time. Hinata had also kept her Byakugan activated since they arrived in town. The sooner they got this over with, and the sooner they were home, the better. Naruto was sick of playing nice with people who would seek to take Hinata from him.

Naruto found his essentials quickly – a pair of black jeans and a grey t-shirt, a few pairs of boxers, and new socks. Hinata found a pair of sweatpants and a loose-fitting sleep shirt – thankfully she stayed practical. However, the trip to the lingerie department made for some level of awkwardness. The various articles ranged from the simple to shapes, sizes, and designs Naruto was pretty sure did not fit any natural female body shape. The only saving grace was there were several other men with wives or girlfriends shopping in the same department.

As Hinata inspected a few garments that made Naruto turn pink, Naruto noticed several unusual couples in the same department. One woman had an entourage of at least five guys that she consulted over an exotic looking ensemble that would cover less skin than her long, flowing hair. Playful teasing among the group suggested that she was on intimate terms with all five of them. Another, more stressed looking, young man was flanked by three women whose tastes in skimpy, expensive items made him sweat bullets. _Men with multiple female lovers, and women with multiple male lovers; weird!_

Naruto pushed aside his observations of the other couples. Anami Island was a known lover's retreat, and it was a place where couples were known to practice things frowned upon in other places. Naruto's attention turned to a group of young men dressed in dark robes of the same design, each of them wearing sunglasses indoors. _If they were going for stealth, they might as well waved. _"Hinata," he said, keeping his voice low.

"I noticed them, too," she said as she chose a few simple pieces from the table she stood over. "None of them are armed as far as I can tell," she feigned ignorance of the men's presence.

"Should we take them here, or outside?" Naruto asked, considering their options.

"We could try to lose them," Hinata pinched the bridge of her nose before rubbing both of her temples.

"You okay, hon?"

"Yeah, I'm just getting a headache from using my Byakugan so much, I think," her tone hinted at something evasive.

"Is that all?" he asked innocently.

"I think," she signed, "that I'm coming down with something between the trip here and spending so much time in the wilderness without proper gear.

Naruto weighed things in his head. He really didn't want to get in a fight in a department store, didn't want to fight at all if Hinata wasn't feeling well. On the other hand, they might only be delaying things if they tried playing cat and mouse.

"They know we've spotted them," Hinata said gravely.

"Let's check out and confront them somewhere we can't do too much damage," Naruto smiled. A couple of two-bit thugs might even serve as a mild distraction after all the stress they had been under. Naruto waved with a big smile as they walked by the group on the way to the checkout counter. _Come and get it, assholes. _

As he and Hinata exited the store, no one followed initially. It was too much to ask if the asses would bug off knowing they'd been spotted. "You know we could just talk to the local police," he said.

"After what greeting we got at customs," she reminded him, "I can't be too sure they're not from the authorities."

"Anything to suggest they are?"  
"No, that's the other troubling thing," she replied, "None of them is wearing anything identifiable, and none are carrying any solid identification of any type."

"ANBU or their equivalent would be my thought," he said.

"ANBU wouldn't walk around so easily identifiable. I'm thinking a criminal gang of some type," her tone became a bit worried. "They're following us again, by the way."

"We'll take the next alleyway. Once we're done with them we'll make straight for the palace," Naruto kept his voice low.

"And if it turns out they came from the palace?" she asked.

"We go from there," he said as they rounded the corner.

The alleyway's wet pavement echoed their footsteps as they stepped through numerous shallow puddles. The footfalls of the thugs began to intensify. Hinata's footsteps on the other hand, remained light as if she were floating over the top of the water. Naruto laughed gently.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking," he felt himself turn pink at memory, "of a time when we were kids, and I got a cold while we were out on a mission."

"When was this?" Hinata furrowed her brow, trying to think back.

Naruto heard the footsteps; the thugs were only a few meters back now. He slowed his pace taking Hinata by the hand, "It was before I left with Jiraya. I remember it because of an incident from the night before I got sick," Naruto grinned.

Hinata had a flash of recognition, "The night you saw that pretty girl dancing in the waterfall."

Naruto nodded, signaling with his free hand to be ready to strike, "Yup."

"Can you keep a secret?" she whispered, carefully returning the hand signal.

"Shoot," he said as they stopped.

"I was that girl!" Hinata and he turned in unison to reverse kick into the first two thugs, squarely hitting the men in the center mass. _I knew it was her!_ Naruto grinned triumphantly.

Hinata danced with speed of lightning, hitting the thug to her left square in the chest, blocking his chakra point. Without missing a beat, she struck her first target again, and then Naruto's first target; she blocked both men's chakra points.

The final thug took a swing at Naruto. Naruto leaned out to the side, letting the shot go wide. With a sly grin, he came back at the target with an uppercut under the chin. The man's head jerked backwards, and he stumbled toward the alley wall. Naruto bull-rushed the man into the wall with a loud _thunk!_

Blood streamed from the man's nose as Naruto grabbed the man's hair in one hand and grabbed and twisted the man's right arm with his own. He pushed the man's head violently into the wall again, "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Shove it, blondie,"

A little more force into the man's arm and Naruto growled, "Wrong answer, shit for brains," he punctuated his demanded by bashing the man's head into the wall again, "Who are you, and why are you following us?"

"He's a Venom Scorpion," Hinata spoke with acid that could cut glass.

His face twisted in confusion, "You, know this guy?" he squeaked.

"I know his kind," Hinata said as she yanked the man's collar, revealing the tattoo of a black scorpion on the man's neck. "They're a group of criminals who hunt Byakugan users." Hinata's eyes began burning fiery white. This was something he'd never seen – pure, unadulterated rage.

"Who sent you!" Hinata snatched the man by the throat with enough force to make the man's windpipe to visibly deform.

Through choked vocal cords, the man gasped, "We heard the Byakugan Princess was here; she'd fetch a huge price on the market."

Hinata snarled with something so evil looking, Naruto could feel Nine-Tails shiver inside him. "You're lucky we're foreigners in this land, or otherwise I'd have no compunction in killing you right now!" Hinata slapped the man across the face, "Tell your friends, the next of them I see on the streets, dies!" Hinata struck the man in the chest, blocking his chakra point.

Naruto let the man's limp form drop to the alley floor. Hot, angry tears streamed down Hinata's scarlet cheeks. "Are—are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she gestured to the fallen men, "they won't be." She straightened herself, let's get to the palace and go home!" Naruto nodded and they were off.

Embarrassment weighed heavily on Hinata as they entered the plush royal audience chamber. She and Naruto were sweaty and covered in alley grime from their recent fight. Naruto was still wearing his fight gear, white shirt, black vest, green trousers, and scuffed flight boots. She, herself, was wearing the white knee-length dress, complete with sand, saltwater, and dirt stains. While both of them had rinsed off aboard the Coast Guard vessel, they were both wearing socks and underwear that hadn't been washed in a week. Vainly, she prayed they didn't smell half as bad as she thought they did – the wrinkled look of the prince's attendants told her she and Naruto were both somewhere in the realm of rotting fish.

The prince strode into the room from behind a wooden screen, perching himself on an ornate wooden throne at the head of the room. She took the man in for the first time. Hinata shook with alarm. _The man is Father's age!_ Indeed, the prince wore expensive blue silk robes and had a silk-black beard with salt and pepper grey and white hairs. She felt Naruto's right hand squeeze her hand, suggesting he too felt some degree of disgust. _My god, Dad, what the hell were you thinking!_

"Lady Hinata!" the man's deep voice boomed as it filled the chamber. "Your reputation precedes you, beautiful even in the most," he paused, "unusual circumstances." He smiled, "I am prince Aiwa. I am assuming you are here to answer the marriage proposal I had sent your father?"

Her gut tightened, and the throbbing headache behind her eyes threatened to overcome her. Nevertheless, Hinata spoke, "Your highness," she bowed politely, "It seems that an embarrassing gaff has been committed."

"Oh," the prince looked amused.

Personally, she found him annoying and had half a mind to screw being diplomatic – she restrained herself. "When father had sent me to reply to you request," she paused, stealing a glance at Naruto. He, too had butterflies in his stomach by the look of him. She continued, "he was unaware that another man had promised himself to me, and I had promised myself to him." The prince appeared unmoved, not aggressive, but it seemed as if he had not heard or understood the meaning of the words. "So, as you see," she added, "When father accepted your message, he was offering something that was not his to offer."

The prince smiled thinly. Cold sweat began to trickle down Hinata's back, as did the gnawing feeling that this meeting was about to turn from a diplomatic one to a confrontation – a potentially violent one. "Really?" the prince laughed, "and who is this lucky gentleman to whom you have promised yourself?"

The room began spinning as her sinus felt like someone had poured acid up her nose. Even without coming down with a sinus infection, speaking in such a formal occasion was taxing. Thankfully, she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, "I am, sir," Naruto said.

"And who might you be, distinguished one," Prince Aiwa replied, mocking Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzimaki! Son of the Fourth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" Naruto replied defiantly.

The prince smiled again, deep with mischief, "Ah, the legendary hero of the Village Hidden in the Leaves," he rubbed his hands together. "Perhaps the hero would care to demonstrate the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox for royalty."

"Nine-Tails," Naruto growled, "is not some circus animal meant to perform for your pleasure." Hinata agreed, having seen the level of destruction the fox could unleash if provoked. _Is that his plan? Provoke Naruto and create an incident?_ Naruto's chest expanded and contracted as he tried keeping his anger in check.

"Your highness, what is the meaning of this?" Hinata asked, "I have given you my answer!"

The prince folded his hands in front of him, "Let me tell you a story about a princess disinherited by her father and her clan," Hinata felt her body burn with fever as much as anger, "And this princess grew up to be more powerful than anyone could possibly have imagined, but she was still no longer the heir to her clan."

Hinata clenched her hands into fists, suppressing the urge to leap across the room to slap this beastly imitation of a man. Only the firm but gentle sensation of Naruto's hand in hers kept her restrained as the prince continued, "Her father, realizing his mistake, desperately tries to re-inherit his daughter, but the clan insists nothing can be done. Then he remembers that a clan heir can be reinstated if he or she marries into royalty or a high noble family."

_So that explains why father was so willing to set this up, to give his blessing for me to marry someone I'd never met! _"Perhaps," the sleazy little man said, "you've changed your mind, decided to be my ninth and final wife?"

"Ninth wife?" Hinata asked in equal parts confusion and disgust.

"They practice polyamory on this island, Hinata," Naruto said calmly, "and I'm guessing this means they practice polygamy as well."

"Very astute, more so than the press would have me believe of you, Naruto," Prince Aiwa said. He gestured toward Hinata, "She'd make a fine addition to the harem. Think of it Hinata, you could have back your title and all this," the man gestured back to the ornately decorated room around them, "all you have to do is say yes, and it becomes yours!"

"No," she said flatly.

"Consider the consequences of your actions, Hinata," the man said, "if you refuse, on your twenty-first birthday you will be turned out of your family home, as is custom for a non-heir. You will be treated like a commoner, with no access to the resources of your family, and you will be force to fend for yourself in the world." Aiwa gave her an arrogant grin, "Do you really think he can provide for you," the prince pointed a long, pale finger at Naruto, "a lowly instructor with no title, no wealth to his name?"

Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand, sensing mild discomfort in return. "He'd do his best, and I would not ask him to enshrine me like some display piece," she fumed, "As for my clan and my family, they've already treated me like a commoner and a nobody for so long I'd forgotten what it was like to be important until this man standing next to me," she pulled Naruto closer to her, "remined me of everything I was, everything I could be!" Dizzy fever fell over her, but she remained determined to speak her mind, "And you think I'll betray that to regain some lousy title that I've lived without, you're a fool! My husband will one day soon be the Lord Hokage of our village because he earned it and not because he inherited it!"

Hinata's seething anger at being put in this position made her chakra boil, her Byakugan activated without prompting. Father's desperate attempt to drive a wedge between her and Naruto had backfired, and she was ready to fight her way off this island if necessary.

Unexpectedly, the prince began clapping his hands slowly. This time, the man sprouted a genuine smile from his face, almost unnerving. Hinata slowly let down her Byakugan, feeling adrenaline burning off. Everything ached, her sinuses burned, and the mere act of staying upright made her feel like she was breathing with a bag over her head.

"You've done well, Lady Hinata," the formerly sleezy voice was replaced with a softer, genuinely happy tone, "I must admit, even I was not sure if the stories I'd heard of you and your lover were true."

"What rumors were those?" Naruto asked, his voice still smoldering as he held Hinata at his side.

"Hinata, you have a record of timidity," he replied, "I almost thought presented with the choice you'd be overwhelmed. And yet, you surprised me, pretending to authorities that you are already married to Naruto, coming to the palace to face me when you could have demanded immediate transport home, and…"

"And?" she asked.

"And you willingly renounce a title that should be yours by right of strength as well as right of birth, all because you love this man," Prince Aiwa gestured to Naruto with an open hand. "Few women exist in this world that would willingly trade their God-given standing in the name of love."

"Hinata is no ordinary woman," Naruto said.

"Indeed, it makes me sad that she is not mine," the prince said ruefully. "No matter," he straightened in his throne, "You'll find yourself passage back to Taiho booked on the _Anami Star_ in the harbor. Peace be with you both, and my best wishes at your eventual wedding."

Hinata needed a moment to absorb things. _He's just letting us go after all that?_ For once, she had been ready for a fight that never came. As another wave of malaise washed over her, Hinata was suddenly grateful that they didn't have to fight their way out.

As they turned to leave, Hinata turned back to Prince Aiwa, "Your highness, there is a group of men belonging to the Venom Scorpions passed out in an alleyway in the commercial district. They assaulted us, and we defended ourselves."

"I'll see that they are dealt with discretely," he nodded. Hinata turned and joined Naruto on the walk back to the port.

Chapter Eight

Naruto's neck ached from looking over his shoulder so much on the walk to the ship. Hinata began getting loopy about halfway to their destination, and Naruto insisted she take a breather from serving as lookout. She was now flushed red, sweating. Thankfully, no one tailed them, and the customs officials were much more considerate now that they were leaving.

The ship stood out like a massive white city block floating in the ocean. Naruto had never been on a luxury liner. Much to his surprise, they were checked in for a first-class cabin with considerable amenities paid in their name. It didn't matter to Naruto; checking in and the mandatory lifeboat briefing were pure agony as Naruto felt Hinata slowly getting sicker and sicker.

Upon reaching their cabin, Naruto began frantically trying to make her as comfortable as possible. He stripped them both of their clothing, piling dirty clothes in a laundry bag from one of the dressers, and he started the shower to heat up the water. He steadied Hinata, holding her under the hot running water, holding her closely as he washed her long hair.

"Naruto," she said in an exhausted voice.

"Hinata, do you want me to take you to the ship's doctor?"

"NO!" she said forcefully, burying her face into his shoulder, "I just want to go home. I don't want them to have any excuse to put me back on that island," she cried.

For a long moment, Naruto had felt helpless. As a child, if he had gotten sick, it was usually up to Iruka Sensei to look after him, sometimes members of the ANBU or military police before he'd been to the academy. Never once had he ever been responsible for caring for another person like this. _In sickness and in health, figure it out!_

"It's okay, hon. We're going home!" he said, trying to reassure himself as much as her. Naruto helped her out of the shower, dried her off, and wrapped her in one of the plush bathrobes he found in with the linens. As he laid her down on the bed, he felt the ship lurch under his feet, nearly causing him to fall. The scenery outside began to move, and he realized they were underway.

He covered Hinata in the bed spread and quickly got dressed. Despite the dire situation, being thoroughly clean with fresh cloths and underwear felt heavenly. Naruto dimmed the cabin lights and drew the sheer curtains. A quick check of her forehead confirmed she was very warm, probably feverish. _Okay genius, think! _Naruto rifled through the cabin's desk, finding stationary and a pen. He jotted down a few items on separate sheets, wracking his brain for anything he might need. Satisfied, he spent the effort it took to summon three shadow clones.

"Okay team, we have major issues and we have to come through on this," he commanded, and the clones nodded in agreement, "first, medicine for Hinata," he handed a list to the first clone to get from the ship's drugstore. "Second, this laundry is way nasty," he handed the bag of their dirty laundry to another clone, "There's a laundry facility on this deck, see what can be done!" The clone nodded in the affirmative. "And lastly," Naruto handed his final sheet to the last clone, "Food! I'm hungry and she's bound to be, too! Any questions?"

"Nope!" the clones answered in unison.

"Then get to it!" With that, the clones left on their assigned duties. It was again just him and Hinata. He sat on the bed next to her, slowly caressing the top of her head. "I love you Hinata."

"I love you, too," she groaned with considerable discomfort.

"I sent a few clones off to take care of things, we'll have food in a bit. You must be starving!"

"After that food on the Coast Guard ship," she chuckled, "even those crumby ration bars from the plane's survival kit sound good," she laughed and coughed.

He had to try again, "Hon, are you sure you don't want me to take you to sickbay or see if they'll send a doctor?"

"There isn't much they can do that isn't already being done," she said weakly. She curled tightly to Naruto's side, "Please, just stay with me."

"Always and forever," he said. Naruto gently traced his fingers through Hinata's hair as she drifted off to sleep.

Naruto stretched his neck, pondering things. The adventures of the past week had held many surprises, but something about this current surprise had him equally apprehensive and excited. On one hand, he was in truly unexplored territory. Even though there was nothing binding about their little ceremony on the island, Naruto now considered himself a husband and not a boyfriend. In a few months, it probably wouldn't matter; he intended to marry her even if it meant having nothing more than Sakura and Shikamaru standing as witnesses before Kakashi at the Hokage's office. _Will I be a good husband? Is Prince Aiwa correct? Is she really out of my league? Will I be able to provide for her? Will her clan ever accept me? Will her father?_

Naruto watched her sleep. He didn't know the answers to any of his questions. He did know that he loved Hinata – unequivocally. Learning to be a worthy husband would be like learning to be a ninja all over again. He thought back to his dreams of being recognized, of one day being the village Hokage. Such dreams now seemed far away and unimportant to watching over Hinata.

Hinata stood once again at the alter opposite of Toneri. Her limbs moved on his command and his command alone. Her sense of self was dulled, like she was an observer within her body. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream, as he legs carried her down the aisle of the chapel. Soon, they were before the puppet Toneri had standing in for a priest.

The priest puppet handed Toneri a small black wafer. Even under his control, her heart throttled violently against her ribcage. _Move! RUN!_ Her limbs remained stationary as marble, not accepting her commands. Toneri took the wafer into his mouth and soon stood eye to eye with her. Even though he was using Hanabi's Byakugan, his intentions were clear. This was a marriage in which she had no choice, and Toneri had no plan on giving her a choice of what came after getting married. Her mouth forced open against her feeble efforts to close it. The thought of Toneri's lips on her, his tongue violating her terrified her; she didn't belong to him. Her heart belonged elsewhere. She made weak effort to scream, little more than a muffled croak came out.

"Hinata… Hinata…" a muffled voice called the distance – Naruto's voice! She screamed this time; even Toneri couldn't stop her.

"Hinata! Wake up!" his voice commanded through the darkness.

She flailed about for a moment, momentarily thinking Toneri had his arms around her until she heard Naruto's voice, "Hinata! It's okay! I'm here!"

Hinata buried her face in his chest. _A bad dream, it was just a bad dream!_ It had been the same bad dream that had haunted her many times since that awful event. _At least this time, Naruto was here to stop him!_ Hinata sniffled, her sinuses burned, her whole body was warm and sweaty. She unburied her face in the unfamiliar surroundings, "Where are we?"

"The cruise ship, heading for home. You've been out for about an hour or so," he said, gently stroking her hair out of her face. He stared at her, "It must have been some nightmare. Anything you need to talk about?"

Hinata bit her lower lip in hesitation. During a particularly bad night terror a few weeks before leaving for flight school, Hinata's screams had woken her sister and her father. Hanabi had the bad fortune of waking her; her sister's Byakugan staring her in the face was a terrifying reminder of Toneri. Father's normally stone face cracked to reveal more concern than she'd ever seen him express. He had made her an appointment with Sakura for the following day; Sakura in turn, advised Hinata see Lady Tsunade.

While the former Hokage made several recommendations in the few sessions they had, one point Tsunade suggested was one Hinata had been reluctant follow: speak with Naruto about the dreams. "Naruto…" she snorted through congested sinus and a scratchy throat.

"I'm here, Hinata," he stared at her with his blue eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Na-Naruto, the nightmare… it was Toneri!" her throat burned as the words exited.

"Had he been trying to contact you?" Naruto's eyes shot wide open.

"No, it's not that," she cried, almost feeling embarrassed. "Since that night, I've been having it replay in my dreams: being helpless as my body drags me to the alter, him trying to kiss me…" Her voice trailed off at his shocked expression. Hinata could only imagine how painful it was for Naruto to revisit the event as well.

He nodded, trying to keep his emotions in check, "Go on," he said softly.

"Sometimes, it ends there, but other times," she paused, not wanting to continue. _Get it out! Purge it like you'd purge poison! _Hinata found her voice, "Other times, he succeeds, and he makes me do things…"

Naruto's warm embrace stole her from her tears. "Honey, it's okay, it's okay. I'm here, and I'm not letting anything happen to you."

She let the dam break, crying into his shoulder, "I'm so sorry for what I did to you!"

"Hinata, it's okay!" He patted her back, "I'll admit it was hard hearing you say good-bye, thinking I'd missed my chance right when I finally understood," now Naruto began to cry, "But you saved your sister, saved all of us, showed us where the Tensegen Alter was!"

"I nearly got you killed! I nearly screwed the mission!"

"But you didn't! You made a mistake; I made a mistake. If I had been thinking logically rather than reacting, we would have rescued you sooner. And you probably wouldn't be having these nightmares now!"

He held her close, she returned his embrace. For a long stretch, they said nothing. Finally, Naruto pulled back, "Feeling any better?"

"Some," she said wiping away tears.

"Okay, if that's the case," he said reaching for a tray. "Let's get your temperature, and then you have to eat something."

Naruto wiped away sweat from her brow with a washcloth as she held the thermometer in her mouth. It beeped, and Naruto checked it. "High but not dangerously," he poured out a measure of cold syrup from a bottle on the nightstand, "Here, take this then it's time for you to eat."

Hinata did as she was told. The ramen Naruto fetched from the table was still relatively warm, as was the cup of ginger tea. Both vanished in minutes; she hadn't realized how damn hungry she was until she started eating.

When she finished, Naruto once again held her. The cold medicine made her feel drowsy, but she couldn't sleep after the scare she'd had. Gently, he began rocking her side to side, but soon he quit. "Sorry, Hinata, I guess I'm not all that great with taking care of a sick loved one," he said, sounding uncertain.

"You're doing fine," she said, "Could— could I beg you to rub my neck and shoulders a bit? I'm really achy up there."

Without missing a beat, Naruto's thumbs began kneading the back of her neck like bread dough. She moaned gently as a gentle frisson erupted from where his fingers worked, spreading down her back. "Too firm?" he asked.

"No, it's great," she felt him firmly attack the knots in her neck and shoulder muscles. His hands smoothed over rough spots, like he was remaking her. She let the robe off her shoulders, allowing him access to anywhere his hands pleased. "How," she stammered as his touch made her heart flutter, "How did you learn this? She moaned again softly in delight.

Naruto gave a nervous giggle, "Jiraya left me a few manuals. Occasionally, we'd work on each other while were away training. Hinata detected the slight scent of peppermint and the sensation of oil on her shoulders and neck as Naruto migrated forward to the front of her neck and shoulders.

The scented oil opened her air passages, soothing irritated nasal passages as he worked away tension she didn't realize she had. "It's too bad you didn't train as a healer; your hands are wonderful!"

"I try," he said, "You're the first person I ever practiced this on, other than Jiraya."

"He'd be proud of you, and not just because you won my favor," she tilted her head back and kissed him.

"I can't promise I'll be this good at being a husband or a father, Hinata," Naruto sounded glum. "There was a lot Jiraya and my father never taught me. My life has been a collection of mistakes that thankfully didn't blow up in my face. I can't promise you anything better."

Hinata grabbed Naruto by the ankles and started tickling his feet. High pitch laughter cut the air, "Hey, cut that out!" he laughed as he fell backward on the bed.

"Now you listen to me, Mr. Uzimaki!" she laughed hysterically. Hinata brought herself nose to nose with him, "I've spent all my life watching you from afar, wishing I was closed to you," she pointed a finger over his heart. "Now that I have you, I'm not letting you get away that easily," she giggled and kissed him. When they separated, she rested her head on his chest, staring up at him, admiring him as if it was the first time she'd seen him. "We're both broken, Naruto," she said, "but we still turned out all right I think."

"It didn't come without a cost," Naruto looked down at his right arm. "Some scars just aren't visible ones." He traced back the hair from her face.

"So, we'll mess up together, and we'll learn from it together."

Naruto smiled, "I'd like that, I'd like that a lot… wife." He began working her shoulders and back again. Hinata giggled as his hands surfaced a silly memory. "What's so funny?"  
"Something Lady Tsunade warned me about," Hinata winked at him.

"Now you have to tell me," he said as he worked out a particularly tight band of muscle.

Hinata ran her hands under his shirt, pulling away the offending article of clothing. She listened to Naurto's heart for a long moment before telling her tale, "The night before taking the train to Taiho, Sakura and Tsunade had invited me out for one last night on the town, more like dragged me out."

"Uh huh," Naruto nodded.

"After a few too many sakes, Lady Tsunade gave me a most curious bit of advice," Hinata trailed her voice off mischievously, tracing a finger over his thundering heart.

"Oh, and what did Granny Tsunade say?"

Hinata had to fight the urge to laugh as she imitated Tsudnade's sake-fueled voice, "Hinata, you watch out for Naruto or he'll charm your pants right off you!"

Naruto cackled himself pink, "She really said that!"

Hinata smiled, "Judging by my current appearance," Hinata slid off the thick robe completely and climbed over him, "it was sound advice!" She kissed Naruto deeply as she turned off the lamp next to them.

Chapter Nine

Naruto descended the gangplank hand in hand with Hinata. After three days at sea, Hinata was much better, and he had never caught whatever made her sick. They approached shore rapidly. It was Friday, and once they got checked back in at the school, they'd head to the train station and buy tickets for the weekend home. He couldn't wait to see the village, to share the happy news with everyone.

As luck would have it, he saw Shikamaru, Sakura, and Konohamaru waving further up the dock. Without hesitation, Naruto hoisted Hinata into his arms and ran the remaining distance to his friends. He set Hinata down, and without missing a beat, he wrapped the other three in a big group hug. "Oh my god, it's so good to see you all!" he yelled.

"What a pain, can't breathe!"

"Boss, you're going to break my ribs!"

"Naruto, what's gotten into you, you big ninny!"

"Love has, and I'm glad you're all here to see this become official!" he said walking back to Hinata and pulling out a black box.

"Ah, Boss, before you do something rash!" Konohamaru spoke gravely.

Naruto dropped to his knee, not hearing the concern, not noticing the panicked look on the others' faces. "Hinata Hyūga," Naruto opened the box, revealing the pearl from the island set into a silver setting, "I love you more than life itself. Will you marry me and be with me until the day I die?"

"YES!" Hinata replied through tears of joy. As slid the ring on her finger, she pulled him up by his collar and kissed him. Naruto felt his toes curl in his flight boots.

As he pulled back from Hinata, he noticed the other three biting their nails, looking horrified. "Dude, what's up guys? It isn't every day I propose to Hinata!"

Konohamaru looked about ready to wet his pants as he pointed a shaky finger, and Naruto's eyes traced the path it pointed – to Hiashi Hyūga. _Well damn, so much for having a day or two to prepare!_ Judging by Hiashi's stone cold expression, they weren't in as much trouble as if he'd walked in on them being intimate, but they weren't far away, either!

Hinata spied father, his normally stoic, unapproving look had dropped in favor of shock, mouth agape. _Here is where I'm grounded for life._ "Father," she said.

"Daughter, we need to talk," Father regain his composure, "privately!"

Hinata felt a civil war in her chest. Part of her was the scared, submissive daughter that tried to do whatever Father told her to. The other side was the warrior princess who had done what was necessary to save her sister and the world. _Yeah, both of them are screw ups; there has to be a way to end this without insulting father or breaking things off with Naruto!_ "Father, anything you can say in front of my fiancé."

"Hinata, please," Father pleaded. _Pleading?!_ Hinata couldn't believe it, but the tone was unmistakable. This wasn't the self-assured head of the strongest ninja clan in Konoha. She had heard this voice a long time ago, a much younger father trying her to encourage her to let go of her caution, to not be shy around others.

Hinata turned to Naruto, "I'll be back shortly," she kissed him and gave him a wink. The message she sent to reassure Naruto was as much for father as well: _I love Naruto, and nothing you do or say now can change that!_ She walked him to a vacant maintenance hangar.

Hinata closed the door behind them. Father stood, and so did she, neither speaking a word. He looked to be sizing her up, and she did the same to him. Finally, he blinked twice and spoke, "I take it Prince Aiwa's proposal was not answered."

"Oh, it was answered all right," she said, trying not to let the angry reminder of going before the prince in humiliating circumstances, "I just answered it in the negative." Something about her words broke the levee holding back years of quiet resentment, "Honestly, Father, what were you thinking! The man is almost your age! You had to know that!" Hinata no longer tried keeping her voice down, "You had to know he just wanted to add me to his menagerie of eight other women keeping him warm at night!" Her lips curled angrily, tears running down her cheeks, as she screamed, "IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU THINK OF ME! IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK OF NARUTO!"

Hinata burned with an anger that would scare Nine-Tails. In fact, her chakra was burning purple around her. Hot seething anger threatened to take a life of its own. However, as soon as it began, it ended with the sight of tears tracing down her father's face. Carved stone features crumbled like snow in an avalanche. "Father?" her voice softened, deep with concern.

Hiashi Hyūga, leader of the Hyūga clan, went to the waterworks in front of her, burying his sobbing face in his hands. Even at Cousin Neji's funeral, where no eye in Konoha was dry, father had not cried this much or with such force. His legs shook; Hinata rushed to catch him before he fell. _This whole week has been full of weird surprises! Perhaps Saskue will return to the village with an actual smile on his face or Tsunade will finally give up gambling!_

Father heaved for several long moments. She was still in shock that this was happening. "I…I'm sorry… Hinata," he struggled through tears. His arms wrapped around her. _Dad is… hugging me! _I'm sorry," he choked, "I tried to do what was best for you!"

"Dad," Hinata hoped he'd compose himself if she was less formal, "It's time I know what is going on and why?"

Hiashi stood up, wiping tears from his face, "Hinata, I was trying to ensure the best future for you whatever you chose it to be."

"Go on."

"As you know, you turn twenty-one at the end of next year," he said. Hinata nodded an understanding. "By clan custom, I'm forced to turn you out of the house unless you are the clan heir. Surely you know that."

"Of course, I know," she replied, "Why do you think I've been studying for a shinobi instructor's license? Why do you think I took this assignment or the volunteer shifts at the hospital? I'm well aware that I'm about to be on my own, without clan backing. I've been getting ready for it since the war ended," Hinata fought to keep her indignance at bay.

"I had my reasons, Hinata…"

"What reasons?" she cut him off.

"There was the selfish one, of course. I hoped by the slim chance you accepted the proposal; you'd be re-inherited into the clan. Hinata, you are the most powerful Byakugan user in the world we know of; there are many people who would do you harm for that."

"I know, Naruto and I met some of them on Anami Island – Venom Scorpions," she said flatly. Hiashi's mouth opened agape again. "I know how to handle myself, Dad. Besides, I had Naruto as my backup."

"Which brings me to my second point," he grimaced, "I had hoped that he would see it as a challenge."

"A challenge for what?" Now Hinata stood with her mouth agape in confusion.

"Hinata, despite what you think I think of him; he's actually grown on me considerably. He helped Neji see beyond self-destruction. He saved you and your sister from certain death or…" he didn't finish his sentence.

"Then why the challenge?" she asked.

"Because, Hinata, I wanted him to prove definitively that he would fight for you and protect you, that you weren't some conquest – remember Jiraiya had taught him!"

Hinata couldn't fault him there; Naruto's role models were by far not spotless. "And…"

"And what?" Hinata asked.

"And I wanted him to have a sense of urgency, and not turn this into an endless courtship," he sighed, "I simply didn't expect him to make this necessary so soon." Father extracted a scroll from the pocket of his robes, presenting it to her.

"What is this?" she asked, recognizing the official seal the Hyūga Clan.

Father smiled, "Written permission, for you to marry Naruto Uzimaki from now until your twenty-first birthday." He laughed softly, "Hell, take this to Kakashi today, if you really want!"

"I was hoping maybe to have a traditional wedding, and enough time to assemble it," Hinata sighed.

Father put his hands on her shoulders, "I was hoping you might say that," he smiled brighter than she'd ever seen.

"Father?"

"I was thinking Hokage Rock would be a suitable place, especially being that Lord Fourth cannot attend in person," Father bowed his head slightly.

"I'm sure Naruto would agree."

"Speaking of," he grinned, "bring him in, and let's see how he takes the good news," Father grinned mischievously as she hugged him back. _Maybe we have a future as a family yet. _

Naruto wasn't sure how much more he could take of waiting as he paced back and forth in front of the hanger. Shikamaru, Sakura, and Konohamaru filled him in on what had happened while he and Hinata were on their mission. Apparently, Konohamaru broke his left wrist playing ping pong with Hinata's sister. Despite the urge to lighten the mood, Naruto did not tease him about it. Naruto really didn't want his friends asking questions about what happened on the island or otherwise. _A gentleman does not discuss such things!_

"You have the look of a man late to his own wedding, Naruto," Lord Kashi's unexpected arrival nearly caused Naruto to jump.

Instinctively, Naruto and the others snapped to and bowed to the Hokage. "Lord Kakashi, what brings you here?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, a few semi-urgent things," he said, "but I also thought I could use some fresh sea air." Kakashi breathed deeply.

"Lord Kakashi, what matter of urgency?" Sakura asked.

"Namely to recall him," Kakashi pointed a finger at Naruto, "and Hinata."

_I wasn't that bad of a flight student! "_Lord Kakashi, they haven't even investigated the plane and they're cutting me loose!"

Kakashi laughed, "No, silly!" he raised both hands to calm Naruto, "There has been a wide outbreak of flu at the academy, and I'm way short of instructors! I figured after the last time we talked you would jump at the chance to come home and resume teaching."

_Home, with Hinata. I'm suddenly glad we didn't yet get that apartment._ Naruto grinned, "When do you need us back?"

"The sooner the better!" Kakashi said.

"We'll be back and ready to teach tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow is Saturday, Naruto," Kakashi laughed.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata's soft voice distracted from the Lord Hokage. Naruto rushed to her side.

"Honey, what's wrong!"

"P-please! Speak with father!" He could see tears running down her eyes.

Naruto charged through the door to the hangar. His eyes took sight of Hiashi Hyūga, sitting in the middle of the hangar on a metal folding chair, arms crossed in front of him. The sight of him boiled Naruto's chakra, threatening to cook off like firework next to an inferno. He stormed toward the target, wondering what possibly the man could have said to make Hinata cry so much.

"Lord Hiashi!" Naruto bellowed.

Unphased, Hiashi, opened his eyes, "Ah, Naruto," the man gestured to another nearby chair, "wont you join me," he smiled.

Naruto's blood chilled. Hiashi Hyūga never smiled. Rapidly, Naruto began running through his head the countless things Hiashi might have to give him the upper hand: a warrant for his arrest, a cursed seal on Hinata or himself, a trumped up restraining order, some other ancient law requiring Hinata to marry Prince Aiwa or another prince of Hiashi's choosing. Whatever it was, Naruto didn't like it. "What is the meaning of this, Lord Hiashi! Why is Hinata crying?"

"Significant emotional events tend to cause tears, Naruto," he replied smugly.

"What did you do to hurt her!" Naruto demanded.

"Why would I hurt, my own daughter, Naruto?" The man's smile started to become unnerving.

"You dislike me so much that you'd make her cry in front of me!"

"Do I dislike you, Naruto?"

"You make no secret of it!" Naruto spoke without considering it was a question.

"What possible reason would I have for hating the man responsible for saving both my daughters, and seeing to the rescue of my eldest daughter on more than one occasion?" Hiashi's grin became content like a well-fed predator.

_Something is different. He's smiling, and the question is baiting me. _The wheels turned in Naruto's head, making little sense. _He's trying to make me lose my cool. _"I'm not good enough for your daughter."

"Does she love you?" Naruto recoiled a bit at the question, but he nodded, feeling Hinata's eyes on him. "And do you love her?" Hiashi asked.

"With all that I am, and all that I ever shall be," Naruto turned to look at her. Tears were still tracing the sides of her cheeks. Curiously, Kakashi, Sakura, Konohamaru, and Shikamaru stood staring at the two of them.

"Why do you love her, Naruto Uzimaki?" Hiashi asked.

Naruto considered his words carefully. "She's stood by me, believed in me when I didn't believe in myself since I was a child! She makes me whole where I've been empty my entire life," Naruto fought to restrain tears thinking of how much Hinata had done for him, and he'd never appreciated it. "She was one of the only people who knew me forever, and never saw me as a monster!"

Hiashi nodded, "And you promise you will love and protect her for as long as you both shall live?"

"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed. A warm pair of arms encircled him from behind. Hinata's silken hair brushed against his back.

Hiashi smiled, "Then I have no reason to stand in your way, son." _Son?_

"Naruto! Isn't it wonderful!" Hinata hugged herself close to him. Naruto remained frozen in shock. _Did he really just call me son? _

Hiashi rose, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Take care of my princess, Naruto. Be the man she needs in her life, the man I never was to her." Naruto nodded weakly. He reached for Hinata's hands. _Your needs are now my needs, Hinata, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse. _

Epilogue

The train ride back from Taiho left everyone weary and ready for dinner. While Naruto and Hinata had much to discuss regarding the wedding next fall, Hiashi had been through enough emotional events in one week. He sat in his private study with Kakashi, each with a glass of sorghum wine in hand. "I told you it would work," Kakashi exclaimed triumphantly.

"Yes, you did," Hiashi replied. "How did you know?"

"Well, I am Hokage," Kakashi sipped the strong wine gently.

"And you did teach Naruto," Hiashi took a sip as well, "But how did you know this would work?"

"Can you keep a secret?" Kakashi asked. Hiashi nodded in reply. Kakashi grinned, "On top of knowing my student, I also had Tsunade bet me this wouldn't work!" Both men laughed like young men, not aged by the weight of their pasts.

"Lord Kakashi," a soft voice called, knocking at the door.

"Come in, Sakura, join us," Kakashi called out.

Sakura wore her traditional red mission uniform, with the addition of a red overcoat. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"On the contrary, we were expecting you," Hiashi said, "care for a drink?"

"I'm still on call, Lord Hiashi. The maternity ward has been non-stop since the Moon Incident, and I decided to give Hinata the night off."

Hiashi grinned, "Never in my life did I expect two baby booms in a little over two years." During the Shinobi War, there had been a rush of marriages followed by a spike in childbirths when the war ended. After the Moon Incident nine months ago, there had been a second, much larger boom resulting from couples that were determined to declare their love before the expected end of the world and others who celebrated after the world was saved. Sakura had talked Hinata into training to be a midwife not long after.

"Ironically, we have Naruto and Hinata to thank for at least some of that," Sakura smiled.

"Speaking of," Kakashi chimed, "How is the young couple?"

"Not expecting, if that is what you mean," Sakura replied.

"Not rushing things, good," Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief, "I assume that means they both listened to you?"

"Yes, sir, but why the sudden concern; they had been in a relationship nine months without any such incident?"

Hiashi sighed. _There is no point in keeping this in. You've let this poison you your whole adult life. Time to wipe the slate clean for the next generation. _"Believe it or not, Sakura," he started, "I was once a brash, undisciplined young man when I was about Naruto's age. Like many young men, I acted thoughtlessly at that age, without concern for the future."

Hiashi paused to take another sip of his wine, "Eventually, I wooed a young woman, getting her pregnant and being forced into a marriage when I was not ready to be a father. I should have learned patience and restraint after that, but I didn't. I ended up causing an incident that cost my brother his life in my place, and sent his son, Neji, down a very destructive path."

Sakura and Kakashi both nodded, solemnly, "I spent much of the next few years chiding myself, so much so I didn't notice my wife was sick during her pregnancy with Hanabi. You might say, my wife, Neji, and my brother all died because of me."

"Lord Hiashi," Kakashi tried speaking, but was stopped by Hiashi.

"I've spent my whole life trying to correct things I destroyed. With Hinata, I may finally have some modicum of success. She is still potentially the future of the clan, even if she isn't the heir. Still, I was worried that circumstances would start the future on the wrong foot."

"Not ready to be a grandpa just yet?" Sakura tried adding some levity.

_Grandpa, I like that_. Hiashi smiled, "Not just yet. Let them enjoy being young as I didn't. However, I wasn't about to leave things in the hands of what you," he pointed at Kakashi, "or Jiraya didn't teach Naruto."

Kakashi put his hands up on mock surrender, "Hey, I was the one who suggested bringing in Sakura for both of them!" The group laughed. For Hiashi, it was soothing for a soul that hadn't had cause for laughter in a long time. He leaned back in his chair, imagining what his grandchildren might be like.

Naruto felt odd bringing Hinata back to his apartment. It wasn't like she hadn't been here before. For that matter, she had spent the night before; however, this felt truly different. "This place isn't going to work long term," Naruto said as he packed up his flight gear into a box where it probably would never see the light of day again. More cautiously, he folded a navigation chart where Island SA-439 was enclosed in a heart drawn in red pen – their initials and the date they spent there written inside.

Naruto surveyed his familiar surroundings. The small apartment had been home to him since he could remember. As a child and a young ninja, it was the ultimate crash pad. As a young man and an instructor, it was already beginning to get tight – not worthy of being a bachelor pad. The apartment certainly was inadequate for a live-in girlfriend. _Fiancée, not girlfriend. _

"It is cozy, I admit," Hinata called from his kitchen. She wore a baggy purple sleep shirt, as she strode toward him with a hot cup of tea in hand.

"Cramped was more what I was thinking," Naruto scanned his life packed into a studio apartment. The twin bed was the same one he'd slept in since he was a child. Naruto had grown, but it and the apartment had not. Like a hermit crab, it was time to start looking for a new shell. "We'll need to look for a bigger place before the wedding." _The wedding._ Just the thought made him smile.

Hinata took a sip of tea and sat down on his bed, setting the cup down on his nightstand. He stared at her beauty. This was his first home, and he would be leaving it soon, for a new home – one with Hinata. Someday, any children they would have would share that home. "What's wrong, darling?" she asked as she climbed into his bed.

Naruto remained enthralled at her stunning beauty. "Nothing, everything is perfect." Naruto smiled. He turned off the light and climbed into bed next to her. The small bed left little room for personal boundaries. "Are you sure your dad won't be upset about this?"

"I'm a grown woman and on my way out of the house," she caressed his cheek. "We have spent the night together before." She laughed, "That said, Dad may have mellowed to you, but don't think he's ready to have you spend the night in my bed just yet."

"Will you miss that home, Hinata?"

"It's not like I can't go back, it's more like I can't stay," she reminded him. She was still part of the clan, even if not the heir or an active member. That would not change even after they were married. "Will you miss this place?"

Naruto thought long and hard, "Whatever I'll miss," he said, "will be more than made up for by what I've found," he took her hand in his. "Tomorrow, we start the search for our home, wife."

Hinata blushed in the shadows, "There's nothing I'd like better, husband!" She brought her lips to his. After many lonely nights spent in this place, in this bed, Naruto knew this was the end of one chapter of his life and the start of another. "Of course, we also have other big events to get ready for," she said.

"You mean the wedding?" he asked.

"There's that too, but I was thinking of all the stuff we have before then: your birthday, our _first_ anniversary, the Rinne Festival…"

"Your birthday," he added rubbing her chin.

"And New Years, and yes, we have a wedding to prepare for at Hokage Rock. On top of that, you have classes, and I have to fit in time to sit for the instructor's exam and midwife's exam. Should we move in together before the wedding day?"

Naruto laughed. _Looks like we have a busy life ahead, and we've only started. _He pulled Hinata close to him, reminiscing fondly of the night they spent taking cover under a raft in a rainstorm – the night she had made him a man. "I love you, Hinata."

"I love you, too, Naruto." They were both still holding each other as they drifted away, dreaming of their future together.

The End


End file.
